Chronicles of Despair
by The Celestial Sky Dragon
Summary: She had done it, Junko Enoshima had plunged the world into despair but she couldn't act yet, not when her plan was still coming together. So she sealed herself within Hope's Peak Academy. But what of her proxies and those on the outside? Now everyone will bare witness to the world outside the iron doors, at the world of her creation. Ultimate Despair is running wild, will you live?
1. Chronicles of Despair: Act 1

**A/N: Hello everyone and welcome to the first chapter of Chronicles of Despair.**

 **This story is going to be a direct sequel to The End of Hope's Peak Academy, and will act as a bridge between that story and The School Life of Mutual Killing. So if you haven't read The End of Hope's Peak Academy, then none of this will make sense to you and I implore you that you read it, as it will be rather important. This is going to be a five chapter mini series, that will act as a bridge, sort of how Another episode acts like a bridge between Danganronpa and Super Danganronpa 2. Afterwards, I might include a bridge to The End of Hope's Peak Academy: Mirai-Hen, which will be the conclusion to the entire saga.**

 **This chapter will contain a lot of narrative and a look into the world after Hope's Peak Academy's downfall, so I hope you enjoy it...It will also be in First Point of View, my first time posting that kind of story in fanfiction...I mostly stick to writing in 3rd person, because it is much easier to describe everything, rather than have my character describe it all, its a preference, deal with it.**

 **Also, I forgot to say in my other story, but it is my birthday today, so Happy birthday to me! I'm 22 years old today, and man do I feel old, but I am not here to tell you about that, I'm here for you all to feel despair! So without further ado, here is Act one of Chronicles of Hope, enjoy it...or don't, I don't really care either way...**

 **\\[T]/**

Danganronpa

Chronicles of Despair

Act 1

Class 77A

 _ **(One Month After The Fall of Hope's Peak Academy)**_

Despair...It's such a simple term, and yet it's a term that comes with a double edged sword. To despair is when you have lost hope, but to sink into hope...that is when there is an absence of hope. It sound idiotic, but when you look at the grand scheme of things, it really doesn't matter. After all, the status quo changed, and now we're forced to live in a constantly changing world. A world of Ultimate Despair, brought upon by the fall of one of the biggest institutions known to man.

Hope's Peak Academy, a school that was meant to breed hope, became nothing more than a place of despair. It all started with the deaths of our upperclassmen, Class 76B, the Student Council of Hope's Peak Academy. No...I supposed it started with the creation of Izuru Kamukura, the one that forced them to kill each other. The Trustees of the academy tried brushing it under the rug, and it backfired. Those images were sent to the Reserve Course students, and they begun protesting, something the Faculty called "The Parade". During this so called Parade, 267 Reserve Course students committed mass suicide, jumping off the Old School Building. That seemed to only worsen the oncoming storm. Three days after that, The Tragedy occurred.

We shortened it to The Tragedy, but it was actually known as the Most Despair Inducing Incident in Human History. A worldwide terrorist attack that drove the world into simultaneous despair. Millions died, cities fell, governments toppled over, it was complete anarchy. The worst thing of it all was that the people of the world were killing for the sake of killing. No other reason had been presented, and the only ones taking responsibility for it are those called Ultimate Despair.

Ultimate Despair, or rather Super Highschool Level Despair, people from Hope's Peak Academy, students that were warped in some sick shape or form. I can't exactly tell you what it is...but I can tell you who it is, at least from my own experience.

It was our friends...Class 77B of Hope's Peak Academy, they're the ones attacking the entire planet. We haven't confirmed it exactly, but after seeing one of our friends turn an entire group of people against each other with a single strum of her guitar, it made sense of what was going on. Someone or something had robbed them of their hope. The video broadcast to the Reserve Course is the answer, but watching that would turn anyone into despair...so we've decided not to watch it.

It's only been a month, but its gotten so much worse. The entire Japanese government was killed in a single night...leaving Japan defenseless...than again it didn't really matter, since all of the other world powers toppled over just as quickly. There were rumors spreading on what was left of the internet, that the sister academies to Hope's Peak had turned into shelters, but that they're students had fallen to Ultimate Despair and had been killing each other. Anyone on the Hope's Peak Academy charter system was dead, well...three classes survived. Class 79 left before shit hit the fan, and no one knows where they are...Class 78B is currently within the Academy...and then there's my class...or what's left of it.

Even now as I sit at this window, looking down into the city, I begin to wonder just how it all went down. Someone had to have pulled the strings, but the attacks were to intricate for one single person to tackle alone. It just goes to show just how important that scale is...if you start thinking everything is black and white, hope and despair...then you'll find yourselves in a situation like mine. A situation where you are forced to kill someone in order to survive. Forced to watch the deaths of those who you knew, and became friends with, at the hands of your very own friends...it's a very despair inducing situation, but I have hope...I have hope that we will make it through this...we just don't know how long it'll be before that time comes.

I looked across from me, glancing at Rika, who was sitting a few feet away. The building we had been staying at had been a small office building. The taller ones we're being knocked down for some reason or another, and I didn't know who was doing it. I figured some despair induced police officer got their hands on some C4 and strapped it to the building, or themselves...I had seen that happen in a survivor camp once, and it was...it wasn't pretty.

She hadn't changed physically in the past, mentally however, she was a different person. She was always upbeat sure, but being thrust into this new war changed her. I think it happened when she saw Mike get killed. I was terrified when it happened...one of our friends, no matter how damn weird he was, was killed right in front of us. Chizu was killed as well, and we weren't even there to bury him, or mourn him. We just had to run, in the end, half of our class ended up getting killed. We lost Sohara and Carly as well. We were just...trying to make it work.

I swept my mattered blonde locks out of my eyes, focusing down on the streets below. Cars had deliberately crashed into each other, the people willingly killing themselves and or others. The bodies of men, women and children lay everywhere. There had been a stand off between some militant forces and one of the Ultimate Despairs, but she had managed to defeat them with ease. Akane...I had seen her literally beat those men to death, all while eating some roasted meat...she wasn't even affected by it. She wiped the blood off her hands and just kept walking, like nothing happened.

I placed my hand over my stomach, trying not to make it obvious that I was hungry. However it had another idea...the rumble was audible, so much so that even Rika tore her eyes away from the streets below. She giggled, for the first time in awhile, reaching into her pocket. She tossed me half of her power bar, which I tore into hungrily. These were a staple for any artist who worked long hours. I had gone through hundreds of these while working on paintings...what I wouldn't give for those times to return.

"We're running out of food." a firm voice, one belonging to Oliver said.

He was our class leader, seeing as our previous one ended up dying...after all he went through the trouble of gathering us up in the past. He was the Ultimate Paintballer, but had been using his skills with real firearms. He had shown surprising skill, but every time he pulled that trigger, I could see the hurt in his eyes. It was kill or be killed, and he knew it. But he still felt a duty to protect all of us...that was the reason why he didn't stay with _her_ inside the academy.

"We need to head to the ocean...If we get away from the mainland, we can definitely survive on fish." Aquamarine, the Ultimate Marine Biologist said. She was sitting against a desk next to her boyfriend, Toshiro Syonusuke, the Ultimate Street Artist. I used to call him Vandal, since all of his art was through graffiti, but it didn't matter to me. Art was art.

"We cannot abandon the mainland. We stand more chances of surviving here than at sea. We haven't accounted for how much pollution has been in the air and sea. For all we know the animals could have fallen to despair. Furthermore, we need certain things to live. After all we wouldn't want to die of Scurvy would we?" Keiko Hikari asked, tugging on her thread. She had been making dolls of those that had perished in the academy. She had said it was for her to never forget them.

"We will also need some medical supplies...we can't hope to continue without them." Sona Cadenza the Ultimate Doctor added.

"Well, I got good news then...there's a gas station not far from this building. It has food, water, everything we might need for awhile...however it's about ten city blocks from here, near the park with the mermaid statue." Haley said, earning frowns from her friends.

"Any word from Ozzy? Come on Olive, say something!" Ryoutaro Matsujima, the Ultimate Carpenter said. Oliver glared at him for calling him that, but shook it off, shaking his head.

"I haven't heard anything, I'm not sure if radio signals even work. It's all static." he said, holding up his walkie talkie, the one Ozzy had given us after leaving Hope's Peak.

"Do you think if we go back to the academy they would let us in?" Toshiro asked, I turned to him, mustering the scariest glare I could. Then again, when I glared It was just me staring at you with a blank face. I couldn't help it.

"Why would I willingly put myself inside the academy? Did you not see what they did to it? They sealed it up, they're thinking about long term. I don't plan to seal myself in that place for the rest of my life, especially when fifteen of our friends died there." I said firmly.

"Besides, the headmaster sealed the door shut. Did you not see the Gatling guns installed outside...we get anywhere near that and we're instantly turned into Swiss Cheese." Rika replied, clutching her rifle tightly.

"Well we don't know that!" Toshiro said firmly.

I tossed him my phone, which was open to a live news feed from outside the academy. It was showing several People who had fallen to despair, Despairites, as the news had been calling them. All of them were being mowed down by the massive guns installed at the academy, hundreds of fresh bodies laying around the entrance courtyard. Students and civilians intermingled, their blood falling down the drains.

"Do you think they'll let us in?" I asked him again, earning a frown from the boy. Aquamarine gave him a kiss on the cheek, making him smile a bit.

I glanced over at Shoji Narukami, the Ultimate Freerunner. He was one of the fastest athletes in the academy, matching and sometimes besting the Ultimate Track Star. I could see him tightening the laces on his shoes. I swallowed hard as I saw him stuffing his pockets with some of the ammunition from the dufflebag Ozzy had given us.

"Sho, what are you doing?" I asked him. He looked up at me, a firm look on his face.

"Haley said that store was ten blocks from here. I can make it there and back in twenty minutes, no issue. I've run farther than that in less time and made it back unscathed." he said.

"That was before, now we got people shooting each other for fun. Do you think you could outrun and armored truck? A goddamn school bus filled with middle schoolers hellbent on recreating Twisted Metal?" Keiko asked firmly.

"We don't have a choice. It can be all ten of us dying of starvation, or it could just be me...either way, we stand a better chance if I go. Even with a pack full of heavy stuff, I can still run fast. If I can find a truck, even better." he replied.

"Shoji, this is insane...at least let someone back you up." Oliver said.

"Absolutely not! I am not having my friends risk their asses for my sake. I move faster alone, I would leave you all in the dust." he said firmly. He grabbed some duct tape, taping his armholes and legholes to his body, to reduce the wind resistance.

"Well I disagree...I was trained by American soldiers, I can keep up...at least let me shadow you. I can get myself a good vantage point and snipe anyone or anything that can possibly kill you." Rika said firmly.

"You can't leave, who'll keep this place safe?" Toshiro snapped.

"Ahem, am I painted on the wall?" I asked, glaring at my fellow artist. He let out a dry chuckle.

"Nice pun, but seriously you can't shoot for shit."

"I can shoot well enough...besides I doubt my shooting skills will matter when I smash their heads in with my crowbar." I replied, pulling the iron bar from behind my back. It had been my best friend in the past, especially when opening large shipping crates with new art supplies.

"Fine then, I'll go with Shoji...I may not be a fast runner but I will force myself to keep up. He can't go there alone without back up, Rika can't possibly snipe them all." Ryoutaro said, earning a chuckle from the green haired girl.

"Because you haven't seen me in action. There's no target I can't hit!" she said, a smirk on her face.

"Well, we're out of options...if you three think you can do it..then go for it." Oliver said firmly.

"No...we need a squad...two people to watch their backs are better than one. After all, if I'm focused killing their attackers, who will defend me?" Rika said firmly.

"That's true...perhaps I can create a voodoo doll that will aid you." Keiko said.

"Be serious! This isn't the time for black magic voodoo shit! We need someone to back us up." Shoji snapped.

"I volunteer as tribute...I've been watching Ryoutaro's ass for awhile, no one better to watch it than me." I said, my voice emotionless as always.

"Emma, we can't have you come with us." Rika said.

"Why not? Because I'm not a soldier like you? Because I don't normally inhibit emotion? I'll let you know, the reason I don't show emotion is because I pour it all into my art. I've shown everyone everything I have to offer...there's nothing else I wanna show. Emotions don't make a person you know." I snapped angrily. Yes, I tend to get angry from time to time, there is a reason why Van Gogh cut his own ear off." I replied, slowly blinking like normal. They all looked at me, firm looks on their faces.

"If she wants to go, who are you to stop her? As long as she makes it back alive, something I have no doubt of." Keiko added.

"Fine, then let's not waste any time. Haley do you have a map of this place and the remote area?" Rika asked, earning a nod from the Ultimate Cheer Squad Captain.

"Cellphone towers may not work, but the GPS still does, even without internet. So you can take this and use it to guide you...be careful alright, and bring Shoji back alive, I've grown rather fond of him." she said, blushing brightly. The boy blushed as well, only he didn't exactly hide it.

"Well, I didn't think I would have my own personal cheerleader...now I have to survive." he said excitedly.

"Then let us be off...the faster we get there, the faster we come back." I said, strapping my gun holster to my leg. I looked at my feet, frowning at the sight of shoes.

I had been walking barefoot my entire life, but now because of all the broken glass and other debris, I couldn't risk an injury.  
It wasn't long before the four of us were making our way across the city. The screams of the citizens were really making me distressed. I don't like loud noises...even as a little girl, I hated going to things like concerts and fireworks festivals.

I would rather stay inside and paint or draw...especially if it meant I could be naked. I don't know why, but I never really cared for clothes...I'm not a nudist, but if I find myself alone, I will take it off. It was something I had grown used to, and sometimes I liked making other people squirm...the look on Ryoutaro's face whenever I asked him to take nude pics of me was always funny. I did it for art of course, but sometimes I did it for fun...I was hoping he would ask me for one, but he never did.

It was obvious he liked me, I knew it and he knew it. But he didn't know that I knew...honestly, he's a sweet guy and while I exactly can't say that I like him, I would give him a chance. However after seeing everything I have to offer, and him not making a move, something tells me he's moved on. You can't really fall in love with someone who willingly spreads her vagina out for a picture. I'm a weird person...

A car crash nearby made me scream, almost dropping my crowbar. Honestly, I felt like we were in a goddamn zombie apocalypse...except there were no brain eating undead. Everyone raced past us, either running away from someone, or chasing someone else. No one noticed us, our faces, our weapons, our mattered uniforms...nothing. We were Ultimate students of Hope's Peak Academy, the hope of the world, and the ones blamed for the Tragedy.

99% of the student body and the staff and faculty died on that day. All of them either being killed, doing the killing, or killing themselves. It was a miracle in and of itself that Class 78 and 79 managed. We survived, but at the cost of some friends. I couldn't exactly tell you what it was like reaching the courtyard and watching to Reserve Course students saw the corpse of your best friend in half with a hack saw. It is something that still gives me nightmares. I felt a hand on my shoulder and looked up, seeing the smiling face of Ryoutaro.

"Hey, it's okay if you want to take your shirt off, it is kinda hot...it's the beginning of September after all."

"Is it? I haven't been paying attention to the days." I mutter, glancing away from him.

"I have...we have to make a daily recording, so that when all of this is over, people can see how we survived. We're the hope of the world, and if we don't have hope, then we may as well fall to despair." he said firmly.

That's true I guess...If we didn't record history, then those in the future wouldn't know how we lived through it. That's if we end up making it through it, at this point anyone or anything can be the next victim. I glanced up at the sky, the dark black clouds looked ominous. The crimson tinge it had gotten was one of bloodshed...of despair. How I long for blue skies and sunny days. I haven't seen the sun in so long, all because of the crimson skies. Even the twilight skies and dusk mornings are tinged with despair.

"You know...any other girl would probably smack you. If you asked them to take their shirt off I mean." I said, trying to keep myself focused.

"But you aren't any other girl...you're Emily Elizabeth Howard, the Ultimate Artist...I know all of your quirks." he said. I huffed, puffing my cheeks out.

"Emma, call me Emma! I hate my damn name!"

"Huh...why do you hate it so much? That's something you never told me!"

"Because...I'm named after a character in a kids show." I replied, glancing away from him.

It was the truth. My parents had named me after some little girl from a cartoon show they had watched. It was embarrassing when I was growing up, especially growing up in Sacramento. I didn't tell anyone I was American, mostly because I didn't want to hear their ridicule, that's why I told everyone to just call me Emma. It was a cuter name in my opinion. Ryoutaro must have figured out what I meant, because he started laughing right after.

"Holy shit, I never noticed...that's a dumb reason to hate your name though...I find it very beautiful."

"Seriously? I think someone dropped a 2x4 on your head when you were growing up."

"2x8 actually, and I find it beautiful, because you can change it. Instead of Emily, you can call yourself Emilia. It's the Italian version of that name, at least I think so."

"I think it's French." Rika tossed in, not even looking back. I shrugged.

"Yeah maybe...I mean my folks are most likely dead, so is my family...I suppose changing my name now wouldn't matter...but I like Emma." I replied.

"Fine..then from now until the end of time, you shall be known as Emma Howard, the Ultimate Artist." Ryoutaro said. I smiled brightly, surprising him quite a bit.

"Something wrong?"

"I just...never saw you smile before...your beautiful, you know that right?"

"I know...you've told me before." I said, turning my eyes back to the road. We arrived at a street corner, and Rika had us press ourselves against the walls. She held four fingers up, meaning four people were around that corner. She was about to move in, when she stopped, lowering her rifle.

"What's up?" Shoji asked softly.

"Ultimate Despair." she muttered. My eyes widened, and I slowly got onto my knees, crawling toward the edge of the building.

The street was pretty clear for the most part, with only one overturned car. Two people had been trying to get out of it, but had ended up being killed by the post falling on them, the blood had smeared all over the post and the street. There were four people standing in the middle of the road, all of them mindless. They were panting, and licking the blood off their hands as if they were zombies. All of them had baseball bats in their hands. The most notable thing on their heads were the helmets they were now wearing.

It was in the likeness of a black and white bear, the right side was black, and the left side was white. The thing that I noticed was the red eye it had on the white side, it looked like the mark of Hope's Peak Academy, the one that was on our crest. I momentarily looked down at my breast pocket, looking at the crest of the academy. It was a match.

However, the thing that stunned me the most was the person leading them.

It was a boy that I had gotten to know, back at the academy. One of the ones that challenged us to a paintball fight. He was standing tall and firm in front of those four Despairites.

He had long spiky black hair, reaching down to his shoulders. He had a small section of it braided, on the right side of his head. He was wearing a long sleeved white shirt, the sleeves mattered with blood. He was also wearing a black suit vest, with the crest of Hope's Peak Academy on it, along with his name. He wore matching black skinny jeans, and a pair of black leather boots, with various belts and buckles on it, both smeared in pink blood. Around his shoulder was a messenger bag, which contained his story book. He was wearing a tan colored hoodie over the suit vest, which had some Space Invaders on it. He was also wearing an Eight bit spaceship pin on the braid on the right side of his head.

I looked at him and couldn't believe it. Here was Daisuke Del Rio, Ultimate Story Teller of Class 77B, and he was directing those people. He had a firm look on his face as he spoke, one that showed very little emotion. That was something that put me off, since Daisuke could be very emotional when he wanted to be. He was holding a black and white book in his hands, and seemed to be looking at it every so often. The helmet wearing people just stood there, listening to his every word. His ear suddenly perked up, and he glanced over his shoulder, smiling brightly.

Walking up to him was another person I had met at the academy. A beautiful young woman, with skin was white as porcelain. She had long platinum blonde hair that fell down her back, almost touching the ground. She was wearing a beautiful white gown, that hugged her curves nicely. It had a single over the shoulder strap, with a black and white rose bloom on it. The dress itself fell down, almost touching the floor, revealing part of the black and white heeled slippers she had been wearing. She wore long white gloves on her hands, made out of the finest silk around. There was no doubt about it, this was Sonia Nevermind, the Ultimate Princess.

I swallowed hard, choosing to remain silent. The two shared a kiss, staring into each others eyes. That's when I noticed, they were glowing crimson. It was something I had noticed on Ibuki as well...and I believe Akane had crimson eyes too. My guess is that when they fell to Despair, their bodies ended up changing, and their eye color changed as well. Whatever the case, that was really scaring the hell out of me. Eyes shouldn't glow like that, but it was as if they were devoid of anything, anything except despair that is.

"Alright you useless fucks, you did a wonderful job here, but we need to do better. There are pockets of survivors all over Tokyo...it's time to send our message all over the place. Unless you want us to kill everyone you know and love?" Daisuke said firmly. The helmet wearing people let out violent screams, running off in all directions. Daisuke let out a laugh, snapping his book closed.

"Fucking normies, they think we'll spare their families." he said, withdrawing a remote from his pocket.

"Aw come on sweetheart, let me do it!" Sonia cried eagerly. He shrugged, shoving the remote into her cleavage.

"Have fun, I think I'm gonna check on that Middle School...Hope's Peak Middle School, sounds like fun!" he said, walking past the girl.

"Everyone in Novoselic is slowly converting to our side. But it seems as if my brother has returned to take over. I suppose killing my parents wasn't an ideal move." Sonia said, causing the boy to stop.

"You feeling regret? Come on my Princess, we don't feel regret... _we_ _don't_ _need_ _to_ _feel_ _regret._..not after what happened." he said firmly.

"Yes I know...but Lady Junko has been benevolent already, we don't need to anger her." she said.

"Lady Junko?" Rika whispered, looking down at me. I shrugged, my eyes still firmly on our upperclassmen.

"Yes...she has been rather silent, then again holding house within the academy is challenging. I can only surmise she's putting everything from my book into practice...if the hope of the world dies, then despair truly will win." Daisuke replied.

"But isn't that what we want? What we have worked so hard for?" Sonia asked.

"Not in the slightest, I only spread despair because the normies killed our friend. The Reserve Course is at fault for what happened to everyone we knew...and why shouldn't I show the world how scary my talent can be. After all, everyone thought it was useless in the past...they even took advantage of it...and that's something that will never happen again. Junko will meet her maker, whether by my hand or by someone elses, I don't know...but it will happen. This world has its days counted." he said firmly.

"What of your sisters?" Sonia asked, causing the boy to stop once more.

"My sisters? Ah, you mean Erika, Cameron and Megan? I don't know where they are...but I will take care of them at some point...it's been lovely seeing you again my sweet, but despair calls." he said, giving her a wave as he walked off.

Sonia dug her hand into her breasts, taking a hold of the remote he had given her. She pushed the button on it with glee, four simultaneous explosions rung through the area, along with the sound of splattering blood. She walked off in the opposite direction, climbing onto an abandoned tank. She gave a few knocks on it, and it drove off, carrying the Ultimate Princess elsewhere.

"What...what did we just see?" Ryoutaro asked curiously.

"Ultimate Despair dumbass...it's obvious those two are part of it. I thought class 77B died, isn't that what Ozzy said?" Shoji asked.

"Indeed, but it seems they may have tricked us. If they watched the same video the Reserve Course did, then it's obvious they were brainwashed in the same manner. That means that there is nothing of our friends left in there...they live for Despair." I said.

"The interesting thing they said was Lady Junko...she was one of the suspects for that whole Massacre thing right? For the Student Council?" Ryoutaro asked, earning a nod from Rika.

"She was supposedly the first one on the scene, the one who reported it at least. Daisuke was taken to jail for questioning, but was let go because of the video itself. It could be entirely possible that they faked their death, so they could spread despair...all for Junko Enoshima." Rika said.

"Wait...does that make her the True Ultimate Despair! Christ, Class 78 is stuck in the academy with her...she's gonna kill them too!" Shoji cried. I grit my teeth, the pounding in my head becoming more apparent. I just couldn't wrap my mind around it.

"So...you mean to tell me that Junko Enoshima, was the one that planned all of this. She killed Class 76, to brainwash the Reserve Course into the Parade. She was the one that caused 267 of them to kill themselves to sow the seeds of despair. She brainwashed Class 77B with that same video, so that they could become her Ultimate Despairs, the one that would destroy the world for her. Then she locked herself up, because her true goal was to kill her class?" Ryoutaro asked.

"Jesus Christ, when you put it that way, it sounds fucked up as all hell. All of those innocent people, they all got turned into her pawns!" Rika snapped angrily.

"Yes, but that doesn't explain how Class 77B fell to despair. They were all full of hope, they fought against it when their friends, the Student Council members ended up dying. So how was it that they fell that far into it?" Shoji asked. I swallowed hard, clearing my throat.

"You wanna know something...I've seen them all. Daisuke, Sonia and Hiyoko usually hang around together. Ibuki and Mahiru have been together as well, Tanaka sprung the animals from the local zoos and turned them into his own army. Kazuichi and Takane were at the Planetarium, building rockets and machines...I've seen what they can do...but there's one person that wasn't there with them. The one person that tied them all together, and was their hope." I said.

"You mean...Chiaki Nanami...she was their class representative...if Junko brainwashed them with her death...then...her death would become their despair. They're all doing this because Chiaki was killed by Junko!" Shoji said.

"That just burns my insides...if I could get into the academy, I would pump her full of lead!" Rika snapped angrily.

"But we can't, there's nothing we can do. For all we know, she's already doing something to them, but if anything she would want the world to see it. Hope's Peak Academy has broadcasting software, so we'll have to keep our eyes open for any television programs being made within the academy. For now let us focus on provisions." Ryoutaro said, earning nods from all of us. With that we pressed onward.

So, it isn't the fact that Junko Enoshima played all of Hope's Peak as a fiddle. It's the fact that she practically got away with it...it made me realize that the Ultimate Fashionista was probably hiding her true talent. Then again, nothing had come from Izuru Kamukura...I had seen him once, in the downtown area, but he hadn't said anything to anyone. It was as if he was watching everything come down, an emotionless mask on his face.

Unlike me, this boy literally showed no emotion. If he truly was an experiment, made to hold every talent in the world, then he most likely lacked the capacity to emote. If that was the case, then I felt really bad for him...he had been robbed of everything, and in the end was used to plunge the world into despair. It truly was a despairingly awful incident.

We made it to the gas station a few minutes after, with Shoji racing ahead of us to get started. Ryoutaro struggled to keep up, but he did a great job. Me and Rika had gone inside the building across from them, all the way to the roof. I had helped her with some long dining room tables, which she had placed near the edge of it. She placed her gun down, and lay on the tables, looking through the scope. I had my back to her, keeping an eye on the entrance.

I let my mind wonder...I hadn't painted anything since the academy fell. It had been so hard to just stop all together..my artistic side was begging to come out. At least Keiko had her dolls, and Sona had her medicinal practice. I suppose Aquamarine was in my boat because she had witnessed the Aquarium literally explode. Then again, Toshiro had found a lot of free space to work on now...maybe I should start doing street art as well?

"Do you _think...(Sigh)..._ do you think the academy knew about all of this? And they just tried hiding it?"

"That's obvious...they hid a fucking massacre right under our noses. Did you know I was in there during that night? I was in the backroom, all by myself, but I didn't say anything...I just waited until everything was over and ran for it." I said, earning a wide eyed look from her.

"Are you being serious with me right now?" She asked, earning a small nod.

"I was working on a sculpture at that time, a submission for the Ueno Art Exhibit, when I heard gun shots. I blocked the door with a slab of marble and just waited for the shots to end. All I heard screaming, someone getting sawed in half by a chainsaw, more gunshots...it was horrible. When everything was finally done, I just booked it...I wasn't going to stick around for the aftermath...one look at a blood puddle was enough for me to know what was going on." I replied.

"I'm so sorry...I didn't know...you didn't tell us."

"Would you have honestly believed me?" I asked, earning an incredulous look from her. She turned away from me, looking through the scope once more.

"Of course I would have...you are my friend Emma, and I never question the intentions of a friend. Besides even if I hadn't believed you, the sirens and ambulances would have been enough proof." she said.

"I suppose so." I mutter, knowing she was saying the truth. Honestly, I should have just come clean with my class, but I was scared. Not to mention extremely naked, since I had left my clothes in the art room. Thankfully my dorm was unlocked any no one saw me.

We remained mostly silent for the next half hour, watching as our friends packed some essentials into some bags they had found. I didn't mind carrying a heavy load, it was expected from me, since I worked with heavy art materials. But in this world, if you weren't fast on your feet, you would end up dying. The thought of getting killed by those helmet wearing freaks was something that scared me.

I mean, over the last fifteen minutes, I had seen at least a hundred of them race past, all of them destroying everything in sight. It was a scary thing to witness, especially since this was all unbridled, unhinged anarchy. It almost reminded me of that American movie, the Purge...no, this was exactly that, except on a grander scale. It made me wonder if Junko had been inspired by it.

"Alright, they're done, let's go down there and meet them." Rika said, standing up from the table. Thankfully she hadn't had to fire a single shot against them. As I walked over to the edge of the building, giving the two a wave, I noticed something out of the corner of my eye. I quickly turned around, aiming my gun at the Ultimate Lucky Student of Class 77B.

"Well, I wasn't expecting you to take notice of me. After all you are full of talent, and all I am is useless trash." he said. Rika quickly caught his voice and turned around, letting off a warning shot.

"Get out of here Ultimate Despair! We want none of you!" She said.

"Oh, but I'm not here to do anything...I'm here merely to watch. It seems despair is going to be put up against hope...and I want to see just who wins." he said, leaning against the wall. He ended up tripping against a plank of wood, which slammed into the door, locking it shut.

"Damn it, curse his Ultimate Luck." I muttered. I walked to the edge of the building, looking around. I rose my hand, pointing to the metal stairs not far from where we were.

"Over here, a fire escape. Let's go before this guy ends up killing us by accident." I said, walking over to them. Rika kept her aim on him the entire time, normally she would have shot, but I knew she didn't want to kill an upperclassmen.

As soon as we made it streetside however, everything went to shit. We met up with Ryoutaro and Shoji, grabbing the bags. But then that's when we heard it. That grating voice, and the sound of wobbling. We all looked up the street and saw an army of monochrome bears, in the same likeness as the masks those Despairites had worn. They weren't even two feet tall, but they looked menacing, especially with their sharp claws and jagged teeth.

" _Monokuma arrives!"_ the lead one cried out, all of them wobbling toward us.

"What the fuck are those?!" Shoji cried, eyes widening. The bears all flicked their paws, sharp claws coming outward, sounding like a sword had been drawn. I swallowed hard, turning to the others.

"We need to go now, Nagito is up there, he's an Ultimate Despair!" I cried.

"Christ, then let's go." Ryoutaro said.

"No, I'll go...I'm faster than all of you." Shoji said.

"Fine, swing away Shoji...swing away." Rika said, earning a confused look from the boy. He kicked at the dirt, almost like a bull that was about to take off, before breaking into a sprint. It was slow at first but then he quickly got off. He started jumping over overturned cars and lamp posts. Somehow, we all kept up with him, mostly because those bears were chasing us now.

We turned a corner, trying to loose them while still keeping our general course. Shoji suddenly stopped, causing all of us to stop as well...we didn't know why he had, but the seeping blood on his white shirt was a clear indication. Ever so slightly, his torso started sliding off his body, before it finally fell to the ground with a wet thump. Rika let out a scream, as the boy started bleeding out, a look of confusion on his face. I drew my gun from my holster, head whipping in all directions. Behind us, we saw an army of men, all of them wearing pressed black suits. Leading them was a familiar young man.

He stood only at five foot one, and was wearing a black shirt, with a black vest over it. He was wearing a black trench coat, which reached down toward his ankles. He was wearing a pair of firmly pressed pants, and some matching black boots. Around his shoulders was a white scarf, with a thin black stripe running down it. He was wearing a fedora on his head, the shadow barely hiding his crimson eyes.

Fuyuhiko Kuzuryuu, the head of the Kuzuryuu Clan, once an Ultimate Gangster, was now an Ultimate Despair. It didn't take me long to realize he had converted his gang to fit his needs. They were all wearing that same helmet. I noticed all of the Monokuma's, if that was their name, were completely gone. Out of nowhere, Peko Pekoyama appeared, standing next to him, katana outstretched.

She hadn't changed much either, except her attire had been different. She now wore a long silver colored blouse, with the top buttons undone. Her breasts had been bound with gauze, something female Samurai did in the past. She was wearing a pair of matching trousers, along with some black shoes. Her hair, normally left in two neat braids, now fell freely down her back, a single side ponytail on the side of her head. I noticed the blood dripping from her blade, it wasn't hard to figure out where it had come from.

"It was you who did this wasn't it Peko?" Rika snapped angrily, trying not to look at Shoji's deceased body.

"Those who run from despair have to forfeit their lives. No students from Hope's Peak Academy shall be allowed to live." She said firmly.

"We're not doing anything wrong, we're just maximizing our profits, by getting rid of hope." Fuyuhiko added.

"Guys run, I can take care of them!" Rika snapped.

"But Rika!"

"I said go!" she cried, opening fire on the two.

Peko raced forward, deflecting all of the bullets flying at her. I took Ryoutaro's hand, grabbing Shoji's pack and breaking into a sprint. We needed to get away, even if it meant leaving our friend behind.

"Emma stop, we can't leave her behind!" Ryoutaro cried, struggling to run with his bags. I stopped, glaring into his eyes.

"Shoji is fucking dead, half of our friends are fucking dead! We have to go, even if it hurts, because if we die, the rest of our class goes with it!" I shouted, once again breaking into a spring.

"We can't do this...we can't just sit here and let them die!"

"Rika is the Ultimate Marksman, she isn't going to die that easily...now come on." I said, turning around once more.

Ryoutaro took a step forward, letting out a cry as a power line wrapped around his leg. He dropped his bag, making land on a board that had been laying on the ground. That board ended up sending a hub cap flying into the air, slamming into a transformer, which burst with electricity. I watched as Ryoutaro suddenly fell to the ground, landing on a puddle of water. He let out a scream of pain and agony as he was electrocuted.

I felt my world breaking. Here was first friend, the one I had spent all my time with, told everything with, fell in love with...dying before me. I could see it in his eyes as he reached for my hand. I wanted to take it, but I knew I would die if I did. The transformer exploded again, sparks raining all around me, at the same time Ryoutaro's body stopped moving. I walked over to him, seeing the look of horror on his eyes. He forced a smile onto his face, tears falling out of his eyes.

"Emma...I..love you.."

That was it, he died right then and there. I grit my teeth, letting out a scream of anger. I glanced up at the building, Nagito's smile embedding itself into my mind. He gave me a wave, disappearing from sight. I grabbed the Bags off the ground and started running back to the office building. I didn't look back, I couldn't afford to look back.

I didn't know if I was being followed, I didn't know if I would make it. But at least I had to get this bags there...it didn't matter if I died at the front doors, as long as I saved my friends in the end. By the grace of god, I made it there without incident. I quickly got into the lobby and sealed the doors shut. I started crying as soon as I did. Oliver and Toshiro ran up to me, as they had been keeping watch.

"Emma, what happened, where are the others?" Oliver asked.

"They're...they're dead!" I cried.

The dam burst right after, and I did nothing to contain my tears. Toshiro wrapped his arms around me at some point, and I cried into his shoulder. It wasn't long before the others had come downstairs. Keiko asked something that I didn't hear, but the soft head shake from Oliver told me what they had asked. I let go of Toshiro, not bothering to wipe the tears from my eyes.

"It was Junko Enoshima, she planned all of this...the massacre, the mass suicide, she killed Chiaki and brainwashed the 77th class with her death. They're the ones that killed the others!" I exclaimed.

"What? That can't be...Junko wouldn't do that!" Aquamarine said firmly.

"And why wouldn't she? Don't you believe Emma? Our friends are dead!" Haley snapped. They all heard a loud cry, and a second later Rika dropped into the lobby. She had climbed in through an air vent, dropping to the ground.

"Rika!" I cried, jumping to my feet. I ran to her side, slipping on the tiles. She looked up at me, giving me a grin.

"She gave me a run for my money, but you never underestimate the Ultimate Marksman." she said, sitting up. She clutched her arm, or rather what was left of it.

"Oh my god, who did that too you?" Toshiro asked.

"Peko...she fell to despair...I managed to get a good shot at Fuyuhiko though, took out his eye with my knife." she said. Sona was already at her side, pressing some gauze to her stump.

"We need to get her upstairs so I can staunch the bleeding. Keiko, Haley, prepare my things." she said, earning nods from the two. I grabbed all of the bags I had brought, following my friends upstairs.

It had been a few hours, but Rika pulled through. Sona didn't have anesthetics, so I heard her screams throughout the entire thing. She had lost some blood, but she would overall make a full recovery. It was a shame, because now she couldn't use her Sniper rifle. She made light work of it, saying that she wasn't going to let an arm be the cause of her friends deaths. I tried to forget it all, but I knew I would never forget what I saw.

"Hey, figured you were up here."

I looked up, seeing the blank look on Keiko's face. She and I were the same, only her blank look came from how massively tired she was. Whereas my own was from my lack of emotional output. She sat next to me, handing me a bottle of water and some food. He gratefully accepted her offering, not hesitating to open the can. I stuck the metal spoon inside, shoving the food in my mouth.

"I wanted to apologize...I know I shouldn't...but I have to. Shoji and Ryoutaro didn't deserve this." She said. I paused, setting my food aside. I had been trying not to think about it, but it was still very fresh in my mind. Keiko sat down beside me, pulling out a black leather bound book from her breasts. She handed it to me.

"It was Ryoutaro's. He was keeping a daily account on it, sort of like a dairy, he said it was important to keep a record for the future...I thought you would like to have it." she said.

I nodded, brushing my fingers over hers as I grabbed the book. I opened it up, a single picture slipping out. When I looked at it, I noticed that it was a picture of me and Ryoutaro in the art room of Hope's Peak Academy. I had a bright smile on my face, while he had a blush on his own. It had been me who took the picture, as the camera had been raised above us. I had been wearing a rather low cut shirt during that picture, sleeveless as always. I detested long sleeved shirts, but I had been wearing them a lot recently, the only stuff we packed were school uniforms after all. Keiko cleared her throat, handing me another one.

"I uh...found that one tucked in the middle of the book...I didn't think you liked doing that sort of stuff." she said. I looked at the picture, my face flushing a bit. It was a picture that Ryoutaro had taken of me, fully naked, my left hand spreading my vagina. I looked at the girl, placing the picture face down.

"It was for the sake of art!" I cried, earning a giggle from her.

"Are you sure you just did it as a way to advertise yourself. I mean I can see your hymen in that picture...are you sure you didn't want him to take you as his virgin maiden?"

"Jesus, I am not having this conversation with you!" I cried, stuffing both pictures into the booklet. Keiko giggled, shaking her head.

"He loved you, and I can tell you love him too...please...show us your emotions...don't hide behind that mask. You are beautiful Emma, and I'm sure he would want you to show us the real you, even in our current dilemma." she said. I frowned, glancing back out the window, hugging Rika's rifle close to myself. I had taken over her job, with her teachings, I knew I would become a good marksman.

"Fine, I will show you the real me...you've already seen my birth canal, its the least I can do." I said jokingly, making the girl blush.

"Are you seriously that open? You aren't gonna take your top off now right?"

"I might, I don't care if people stare at me, I guess you can call me a nudist." I said, giving her a wink.

"Emma Howard, the Ultimate Nudist, somehow I doubt Hope's Peak Academy would allow you into their school with that title." she said.

"Maybe they would have...I'm sure the boys would have been okay with it...listen Keiko...thanks for this...I'm gonna keep his journal going. I want the future generations to know about Ryoutaro...and Shoji, I don't want them all to...die a victim of this tragedy. I will ensure you all survive...I have too, for myself, for Rika, and for the world...but mostly, for Ryoutaro and Shoji." I said firmly. She nodded, reaching into the bag she had brought, handing me a small plushy, in the likeness of Ryoutaro. I took it into my hands, looking at it closely.

"He...wanted you to have that...for your birthday. Squeeze it."

I nodded, squeezing the center of the plush. My eyes widened a bit when I heard his voice.

" _Hey sweetheart, happy birthday! I wanna say, that I love you with all my heart...I love you Emma, forever and always!"_

I felt my vision blur as fresh tears ran down the sides of my face. I hugged the plushie against my chest. It would never be the same, not without him, the man that I love is gone. Keiko wrapped her arm around me, and I cried into her shoulder for the rest of the night.

 _ **To Be Continued...**_


	2. Chronicles of Despair: Act 2

**A/N: Howdy everyone, and welcome to Act 2 of Chronicles of Despair!**

 **The last Act was of course from the point of view of the Ultimate Artist Emma Howard...but this act will be in the point of view of someone else. Of course I'm not going to tell you which person that is.**

 **Um, I don't exactly have anything else to say about this chapter or the story itself...I will be working on Act 3 for the next few days, and it will most likely cover some stuff about how Daisuke will be pulled out of Despair, as well as the beginning of The School Life of Mutual Killing...or rather Junko's announcement of it. Act 4 will be directly after it starts, and Act 5 will cover everything up until Chapter 2 of The School Life of Mutual Killing...I've been having trouble with the continuity, but I promise not to take too long writing this...I am also going to start editing The School Life of Mutual Killing and getting it ready to repost it, with all of the new content...so look forward to that.**

 **Until the next chapter, I hope you enjoy it.**

Danganronpa

Chronicles of Despair

Act 2

In the depths of Despair

 _ **(Five Months After The Fall of Hope's Peak Academy)**_

Even after everything that had happened, after the deaths of so many people, I still couldn't believe what was happening. You could say that I had faded into the white noise. That I had readily accepted what was going on with my day and moved on like it was normal. Well, you would be right, except it wasn't like that.

Ultimate Despair had spread like a plague. It wasn't just those who were part of Hope's Peak Academy, but those from the sister academies as well. It was all over the world, and right now there was no way to stop it. It was all because of them...Class 77B, my upperclassmen. But even now I can't blame myself for what they're doing, it was all because of her, and what she did to them.

Even now, the world crumbles around me and I have yet to figure out what to do. I've been surviving by the skin of my teeth, with a little aid of my only friend. Perhaps I should have stuck around with my classmates after all, and gone to the bunker to hole up. I had seen Ultimate Despair up close. It had the faces of those who I once thought Ill of, the faces of two of the worlds brightest talents. But they're eyes were filled with pain, and longing. For who, that I don't know...but it was obvious that they were destroying the world, not because of Junko Enoshima, but because they wanted to share what they felt with everyone.

I felt a tap on my shoulder and looked up, the worn face of the Ultimate Physician staring back at mine. I had stuck around with her since she saved my life, I had been rather close into joining Ultimate Despair. I mean, after witnessing the death of someone, and partially being the cause of it, I wouldn't doubt your sense of morality. I would have chosen the other side easily, but she kept me in line. That stern tone of hers and angry face whenever I spoke negatively was enough to keep me in line. But she had her sweet side too, she had become a sister to me.

I knew however why she had grabbed my attention. It was 2 am, and it was my turn to keep watch. I had been up for an hour already, just to prepare myself mentally. I stood up with a sigh, grabbing the MP5 in her hands, walking over to the watch tower we had set up. The original place we had been at had been compromised shortly after I arrived. We lost half of the survivors she had been helping. We had a lot of women and children with us now, as the men had sacrificed themselves to hold back the Monokuma units that appeared.

Monokuma...that name still haunted me. It seemed as if Junko's twisted mind came up with that monochrome bear. A visual representation of Hope and Despair. It was a bear, with a grating voice, sharp teeth and claws, and waddled around like a penguin. Normally I would laugh at the sight of a bear like that, but these bears weren't...normal.

They were all part of her creation, a sick twisted robot with sharp claws that could tear anyone in half. Sharp teeth that could rip your flesh off your bones. And the final twist of the knife, each one was equipped with enough C4 to blow a hole in the world. So if you get six of them together, it's enough to knock down a building. Hence why we are now in an open area with only two entrances.

We were currently taking refuge in an abandoned motel. We had grabbed some coach buses and had blocked off the entrance with them. There were some Special Defense Force officers with us, so we did have access to weaponry should we need it. However, only two remain now...the others had gone out for supplies and never returned. I didn't want to guess what happened.

The watch tower, or rather lawn chair, was located on the roof of the front facing building. You would have a 360 panoramic view of the entire area and the lot. While most of the apartments had been given to families, some people chose to stay down in the courtyard, in makeshift tents. There were some people who had knowledge on firearms keeping guard downstairs, but us Ultimates had to protect the others.

We, meaning me and Kiriko, were the only Ultimate Students left in the group. There was one Reserve Course girl, but since she was a normal person, no one bothered to even interact with her. They had all voted me and Kiriko as the ones who would protect them. All for the same of hope, it was total bullshit. I honestly thought it was just a simple scheme, if they die first then we know we're in danger. But I wasn't going to die so easily, I would make sure of it.

Even after so long, there was one thing I haven't gotten used to, or rather forced myself not to get used to. That was the screams of the people. They all varied of course, I could tell which were screams of pure agony, screams of pure joy, and screams of despair. There was always a blend of them all over the place. The general outlook of the world was also another thing I wasn't used to. Fires were always raging, so the smell of smoke and ash was everywhere, along with the scent of blood and decay. The animals had also fallen to despair, no doubt due to the Ultimate Animal Breeder talking to them.

Tanaka the Forbidden One...I had honestly thought that boy was full of shit. He was always that emo kid that no one wanted to talk to. All of his mannerisms were weird, and his speech patterns were like something out of Warcraft. But the only real experience I had with him was through Daisuke. Of course, the only time I did interact with him was at that party. I digress, he had talent, and it was apparent.

I saw him leading a pack of Elephants through an open city street. They tore down everything in sight. They killed anyone who was crossing or even running away from them. The boa constrictor around his body would coil around the nearest victims, and crush them until every bone was broken. The birds would peck the eyes out of survivors, and drive them toward the hungry pride of Lions, lying in wait. It was a terrifyingly gruesome scene, and I was glad I was far enough from it to make it out alive. Kiriko had told me to get myself a gun after that. Don't know if my bullets will penetrate an Elephant's skin, hopefully I never get the chance to try it.

The perverted Ultimate Chef was also another person I had been keeping tabs on. While normally he would hit on anything with a pussy, he was actually holding himself back. The expression on his face was one of pure pleasure, as he continued to poison people with his food. He would always cook something disgusting, but make it completely beautiful. The scent alone would attract hungry survivors, and with a single bite, they would not only fall to despair, but kill each other. At least he didn't cook those people up and serve them to others, that would have been the worst case scenario.

"Excuse me, Miss Amane could I speak with you real quick?"

I sighed as I looked down at the man below me. He was one of the Special Defense Force. I honestly don't remember his name, nor did I care. All he ever used me for was for my talent with math. It was honestly starting to piss me off, how these normals weren't able to do simple multiplication, or even something as simple as an equation. I tore my eyes away from him, glancing back out into the horizon.

"What do you want Fox, can't you see I'm keeping watch here?" I asked firmly, earning a stutter from the man.

"I-I understand ma'am. B-but, we just received s-some news from HQ...there are some children taking refuge at the p-planetarium. We need you to calculate how long it would take us t-to secure them...we also need you to r-run stock." he said.

My eyes narrowed when I heard the word Planetarium. As far as I recall, that place was under the watch of an Ultimate Despair. Takane Nishijima, the Ultimate Astronomer. Not only that, Kazuichi Souda, the Ultimate Mechanic was also taking refuge there. He had turned it into a fortress, in a short amount of time. It was practically impenetrable. All of the Monokuma units were coming out from that place, so it wouldn't make sense for kids to be holed up there. I turned to him, a firm look on my face.

"With all due respect sir, going there would be suicide. Can you not see all of the renovations that place has gone through? There is iron fencing around it now, all of the windows were covered in iron. Not to mention the huge Monokuma's currently guarding it. You know, the same ones that are currently punching the living shit out of every tall building in Japan?"

"But there are children inside, we need to save them!"

"Okay, let me say this to you in a way you can understand. Ultimate Despair, is there, if you go there, you die. Do you wanna die?" I asked, giving him a dumb look. The man grit his teeth in anger.

"Fine bitch, I'll do the calculations myself. I can't believe you call yourself an Ultimate Hope." he said, turning around.

"I never called myself Ultimate Hope, I am a mathematician. I went to Hope's Peak, but so what, that place is gone..stop living in the past, and live in the now, you moron!" I snapped angrily, sitting back down in my seat.

I never asked for this, I never asked for any of this! I just wanted to go to school, live life like normal and fucking get through whatever the world would throw at me. I didn't want to deal with Despair, I didn't want to watch the world burn!

In the back of my mind, I know that I deserved this fate. Rather than die with the rest of the Student body at the academy, I would be forced to live through it. It was my punishment for what I did to Daisuke, and what I said to so many people. It was all because of that bastard Ryusuke, even in death he still pisses me off. The reason for Daisuke's despair, it all originated with him! If he hadn't called him useless, if he hadn't convinced me to do the shit that I did...maybe he wouldn't have fallen.

"Don't be an idiot, he would have fallen regardless!" I snapped at myself. I shook my head, sighing softly.

I had been doing that quite a lot too. Whenever I started berating myself, or blaming that bastard I would snap at myself. I couldn't change the past, but I could damn well change the future. If we could only gather what was left of the alumna of Hope's Peak, maybe our combined talents could help everyone out. After all, we were...no...are the Hope of the world. Graduating from Hope's Peak Academy would secure you for life, so if I could create something that...

I paused, chuckling a bit. Here I am speaking as if I have a means to create something like that. For all I know, my class could be dead, and those that escaped could be part of Ultimate Despair. For all I know, I could be the only Ultimate Student still left on this planet...well, at least I have Kiriko with me.

"Alright Sylvia, calm down. I'm sure there are other Ultimates out there, aside from those within Hope's Peak. All I have to do, is get a radio...and make contact with Zeke...that's right...I can definitely do that!" I said, standing up from my seat.

It had only been two or so hours since my watch started, but my shift was already over. Rather than heading to my room with Kiriko, I walked downstairs toward the courtyard. I passed by some men who were discussing plans of escape, a raging fire in the middle of their small circle. I caught one of them staring at my backside and flipped him the bird. Sometimes, being pretty could land you in a maelstrom of shit. Just last week, I had gotten shoved in a room by some horny man, trying to have his way with me. A single stab through the side of his neck ended his life. I had gotten flak for it, but when they saw my torn skirt, they immediately understood. Men are all the same.

I made my way over to the large armored vehicle and opened the door, stepping into it. I closed and locked the door, making sure the window was up, after all I didn't want to have anyone listen to my attempts at finding someone. I fiddled around with the CB radio, turning the thing on. Thankfully, this model was battery operated, and not one that required the vehicle to be on. I didn't have the keys so I wasn't sure what I could have done at that point. I hummed to myself as I set it to channel one. Instantly, I heard voices.

" _So, point bravo is safe?"_

" _Affirmative, Towa city has been spared entirely. It seems like the Towa Corporation is protecting the people...over."_

" _Copy that, we may have to send survivors that way then."_

I tuned them out, thinking of something to say. Although the information about Towa city was rather interesting. I had heard rumors about it being a safe haven, a city that had been spared from the tragedy entirely. There were places like it around the world, places that maintained order. However, it wouldn't be long before someone or something went over there and messed everything up for them. I would be sure to steer clear of it for now. I cleared my through, holding the talk button down.

"Ezekiel Morales, this is the Ultimate Mathematician of Class 79, call back, over."

I sounded for fucking cheesy. The only experience I have with this sort of thing is from movies. Honestly, it sounded better in my head, but now that I had said it, it was so cringe worthy. I'm sure Daisuke would have laughed at me if he heard it.

There I am talking about him again...if you hadn't noticed, the reason why I talk about him a lot is because...well...I'm still in love with him. You could say that I never fell out of it. I did care for him, so when I said and did all of that stuff, I could feel my heart breaking. After all, I was put up to it by his father...all of it was a filthy fucking lie, that destroyed him and myself. I thought that would be the end of that, that I would never see him again, until Ryusuke came looking for me for that goddamn Thanksgiving party. He told me to act haughty and like a bitch, that he would make it worth my while. If destroying my best friend in front of his classmates meant my free passage into Hope's Peak Academy, then I definitely wouldn't have done it. But in that time, I was a jealous person. I'm sort of glad Daisuke got his revenge on me in that ball. It taught me quite the lesson.

" _Ultimate Mathematician? What's your name girl? Over."_

"My name is Sylvia Amane. I'm a survivor from Hope's Peak Academy, are you familiar with Ezekiel Morales? Over."

" _Negative, you know we could use someone of your talents, where are you located so we can pick you up?"_

"Not interested." I said, changing the channel.

I must have spent an hour there, taking to literally everyone that was still using these comm systems. I didn't know how many goddamn channels CB radios have, but I am sure I went through all of them. I sighed, shutting the damn thing off. I grabbed one of the portable ones, along with the solar charger and shoved it in my pocket. I left the truck without anyone realizing I had been in there. Walking up the stairs, I walked over toward room 12, the one I shared with Kiriko. I unceremoniously dropped onto the bed we shared, startling her awake. She looked at me with a far off look, holding back a yawn.

"Did you just...finish up?"

"No, I was using the CB radio." I replied. I turned onto my back, unbuttoning my blouse, sliding my arms through it. I sighed contently, feeling the cool sheets on my bare back.

"For what exactly?" my fellow pinkette asked, sitting up on the bed. I sighed, glancing at the window. Crimson once again greet me, and I opted for just closing my eyes.

"I was trying to make contact with Ezekiel...I..want to see if I can help save this world." she said.

"Save the world? How?" Kiriko asked curiously. I licked up lips, turning to face her.

"Well, I figure, if we all combine our talents together and put them forth...into saving the world, we might be able too. My entire class, save for Yunosuke, Hisashi and Bryce are all still alive. If we can make contact with them, and rescue Class 77A from where ever they are, we might stand a chance at this. And if we can make contact with Hope's Peak Academy graduates who survived, then we'll have an even bigger chance." I said, excitement flowing through me. I could feel hope coursing through my veins as I spoke. Kiriko looked at me, eyes widened with surprise.

"Sylvia, do you know how hard that would be? Gather up the remaining hope of the world and form a single organization? With what funds? Where would we even do this?" she asked.

"I don't know, but I do still have access to my accounts. If I can withdraw the remaining funds on it, It should cover some of the expenses. I doubt anyone would care if we take a building anymore." I replied, reaching for my messenger bag. I dug inside pulling out my purse, grabbing my bank card from within. I doubt I could use an ATM anymore, but I could probably access the information.

"Okay, so who do we contact then?" Kiriko asked, now sitting up. She was still wearing her clothes, probably too tired to have taken them off.

"I've been trying to get a hold of Ozzy, but I haven't heard anything from him." I replied, holding the radio up. The girl rolled her eyes, taking a hold of the device.

"He gave me a specific code when he got me out of the hospital. I just wish he could have taken me with him. I was a liability at the time though, I doubt a girl fresh out of surgery would have lasted that long."

"Huh? Well you did and he should have taken you with him. What idiot turns down a doctor?" I snapped, an incredulous look on my face. She pouted, quickly changing channel. She cleared her throat, holding the call button down.

"I'm off to see the wizard, the wonderful wizard of Oz."

I narrowed my eyes at how stupid that call sign was. It was the most retarded thing I had ever heard. But just as quick as she said it, a voice on the other line replied.

" _Osborn Cox, Ultimate Gunner at your service."_

"Cut the shit Ozzy, it's Kiriko. I'm with Sylvia at the Mirai Motel and need your coordinates. We're planning something big."

" _Kiriko? Shit, I thought you were done for...well I myself am currently out of Tokyo on a rescue mission. But if you'd like I can patch you to Zeke. He's planning on taking in survivors at his backup bunker."_

I snagged the radio out of Kiriko's hand, a desperate look on my face. I took a deep breath, closing my eyes.

"Ozzy, this is Sylvia...has Class 79...survived all of this?"

It was silent for a second, most likely because he wasn't expecting to hear my voice. I wasn't exactly the nicest person to him in the past. Even during the few weeks I got to know him. He shot me with Nerf Darts after all. I heard a chuckled, followed by his reply.

" _Hell yeah, everyone in Class 79, save four are currently safe underneath the Shibuya Station. Do you want the address?"_

I quickly replied, grabbing a pen and a pad from my bag. I hastily wrote down the address, as well as the call sign that I should give when reaching out to Ezekiel. He also told me he had hidden a cashe of weapons near Central street in Shibuya. It would take us around half an hour to get to the bunker, since it was hidden in the rail way system. I briefly wondered how someone got away with that, but when you have money, you can basically do anything you want. Once done, I bid farewell to Ozzy, shoving the radio in my bag. I walked over to the dresser, pulling out the only other thing I had on me.

"I'm gonna take a shower, pack up so we can leave." I said.

"Sylvia...I can't just leave. These people need me, there are children here!" Kiriko said, causing me to stop. She had a firm expression on her face, the same one she would give me when I was pissed off. I sighed, glancing away from her.

"Yes I know, but this is the future of the world were talking about. Trust me, I hate having to leave kids too...but let's face it, they might die at any given moment."

"Heaven forbid that actually happens...please Sylvia think about this before you jump the gun!"

"I will not!" I snapped.

Here was the chance I had been looking for. The chance to redeem myself of what I had done in the past. Kiriko wasn't having anything of it. I grit my teeth, grabbing the door frame rather tightly.

"Listen, I have to do this alright? I've done some bad stuff in the past...this is my way of redeeming myself. I had a hand in killing Ryusuke Fuji, I did so much bad shit to Daisuke...I need to find a way to bring him back. To get him on the side of Hope...please Kiriko...I need you there by my side."

She didn't say anything at first, most likely thinking about everything I had said. She looked away from me, and I clearly knew what her answer was. I stepped into the bathroom, not bothering to close the door. I quickly undressed, shoving everything in my small laundry bag...carrying around two changes of clothes was convenient and inconvenient at the same time, but I didn't have a choice. After showering, I got into my old Hope's Peak Academy uniform. I looked at myself in the mirror.

Pressed white blouse, with a matching red ribbon around my neck. Brown blazer that fit me perfectly, with a commemorative 79th Class pin on my lapel. Matching brown skirt, and long pale pink leggings with my heeled boots. I really did look like an Ultimate student, and for all intents and purposes, I was and still am an Alumni if the academy. I left the bathroom, stuffing everything in my bag, slinging it across my shoulder.

"Sylvia, are you sure you want to do this?" Kiriko asked.

I nodded firmly, not saying anything. She handed me the MP5 the two of us had been using, along with several loaded magazines for it. I looked it over, seeing she had attached an EoTech scope and a silencer to it. Where she got those I had no idea.

"Kiriko...before I do head out of here, I wanna say thank you. You saved my life and became my first friend in this world. I'll never be able to repay your kindness." I said, bowing my head a bit.

"No need to bow to me, you're like a sister...we both love the same man after all." she said, a pink tinge on her cheeks. I giggled, shaking my head.

"I think he's got his hands full with the two he has now. Kiriko, I promise I will get him back, him and his girls...and all of our upperclassmen. I vow it on my title of Ultimate Mathematician...I will not let hope die in this world, not while I still breathe." I said firmly.

"Yes, but he's fallen so deep in the pit of despair...how will you bring him back?" she asked. I reached into my bag, pulling out a single leather bound notebook.

"This is a book he wrote called "My Heart Belongs to You". I grabbed it from his dorm during all of that confusion. I dunno, I went to find him when all of those Reserve Course kids started torching the place. Barely got out of there alive, only to be caught three weeks later by him and Hiyoko." she said. The girl looked the book over, a frown on her face.

"Do you think this will pull him out of despair?"

"Love is an emotion stronger than anything in this world. Hope and Despair pale in comparison to it...if we focus on Love as an emotion, then a new endless hope will be created! We can bring him back!" I said, I'm sure my eyes were sparkling like those stereotypical anime girls...or rather like Sonia whenever one mentioned something Japanese. What a weeb.

Kiriko sighed, handing me the leather bound book, which I placed in my bag. She smiled brightly, giving me a tight hug. I felt tears threatening to spill, my throat choking up a bit.

"I love you, you'll always be a sister to me...so please stay alive!" she said softly.

"I will, I'm going to bring our blue skies back...and when we do, we can all truly be happy. Take care of yourself Kiriko." I said softly, grabbing my gun.

It was already morning, but of course with crimson skies, one couldn't tell if the sun was up or not. We mostly went by what our watches said, but even then those often were wrong. I walked down the metal stairs, heading back down toward the parking lot. I noticed most of the men had gone to sleep in their tents, which made what I was about to do so much more easier.

There was a single entrance to the lot, through a large metal gate. It was made this way so that people could get in and out and have a single place to defend. If Monokuma's made their way in, they could only come in a single direction as well. I walked over to one of the Police cars that had been left abandoned...I knew there was an officer some where but I already knew they weren't going to let me go. I opened the door, thanking the heavens that it was open. I looked around for a few seconds, before checking the visor, a pair of keys dropping in my lap.

"Thank you Arnold, for always checking the visor." I said with a giggle. I slipped the key into the ignition and the engine roared to life. I shifted into drive and floored it, just as some men were opening the gate. I heard their screams for me to stop but I didn't listen.

Thankfully, I did learn how to drive before this world went to shit. So I wasn't going to crash or anything. I remembered what Ozzy had said, and started heading toward Shibuya. I didn't need to follow traffic lights or stop, I mean, no one was driving normally...hell almost no one was driving at all. It had been five months after all this started...crazy how fast time goes on...but even then, I knew this wasn't going to end so easily.

Only a half an hour had passed, and while normally I would have been at Shibuya already, it had gotten a lot rougher on the drive. I was about to turn when a loud slam filled my ears. I slammed the brakes, watching the dust cloud before me. When it cleared, my eyes widened staring at the hunk of a man standing before me.

The Ultimate Team Manager, Nekumaru Nidai hadn't changed much since the fall of the Academy. He was wearing a pure white track suit, surprisingly enough, it hadn't been ripped like his previous ones had. The jacket had a studded collar, and around his neck he had a large metal chain, with a lock on it. He was wearing a pair of white shoes, rather than his normal wooden sandals. His eyes were sparking with red lightning, something that intimidated me quite a bit.

I quickly shifted into reverse, trying to back away, only for my tires to suddenly pop. The entire car, seemed to lift itself up, making me fall back into the seat. I glanced behind me, seeing a large elephant had been standing on the trunk of my car, putting all of its weight into it. I jumped from within as soon as it dropped its leg onto it, destroying it entirely.

I stood up, glancing past the large pachyderm, seeing the Dark Lord of Ice himself. I gulped a bit, remembering all of the insults I had thrown his way. He hadn't changed much either, except now he had his arms wrapped in gauze, and he had been wearing some sort of trench coat with dark black pants and boots. His glowing red eyes unnerved me quite a bit, especially with the Boa wrapped around his body. I glanced between him and Nekumaru, biting my lip. I broke into a sprint, the Elephant behind me letting a loud cry.

"Fuck me, fuck me, fuck me!" I cried, ducking into an apartment complex. I didn't even bother with this doors, knowing those animals were going in no matter what. The wall next to me literally exploded, and Nekumaru made his way in, reaching for my head. I ducked down, racing into the nearby hallway. Lifting up my gun, I started firing behind me.

"Goddamn it, fuck the police for removing select fire." I shouted, my voice echoing through the walls.

Thankfully my gunfire kept Nekumaru at bay. He may be strong physically, but even he couldn't deflect bullets. I should keep these thoughts to myself, lest I attract Peko's attention. I pressed myself against the wall, reaching for a spare magazine, shoving the empty one in my bag, making sure not to get the mixed up. I had at least fifteen of them, all fifty rounds. I had to thank Kiriko for that when I had the chance. I heard a loud caw from above me, gritting my teeth, I kicked the door to the apartment before me down.

I didn't waste a second jumping out the window. I grabbed a spare grenade from my pack and threw it into the apartment, running as fast as I could. It exploded behind me, the entire wall caving in...I knew that wouldn't hold them back but it would buy me a few minutes. I smiled a bit when I saw Shibuya station in the distance. I ran through central street, passing through all of the stores I used to go to...even Gigolo Arcade, which had been a cute hangout from time to time. However when I made it to the main street, I came to a stop.

"Where do you think you're going?"

I looking up, I saw Akane Owari standing on top of a light post. She was eating a raw steak, a look of pure enjoyment on her face as she kept her balance like a pro. Then again she was the Ultimate Gymnast so doing something like this was childsplay for her. I tried to back up, but I ended up bumping into the firm chest of Nekumaru Nidai. I broke into a sprint, trying to get away from him, only to be cut off by Peko, her blade stopping inches away from my neck.

I looked behind me, only to see Kazuichi and Takane blocking my path. I swallowed hard, watching all around me, as one by one Class 77 assembled around me. They were all there, even Sonia and Hiyoko, who were holding hands, firm looks on their faces. I felt a shiver go down my spine, looking up to see the smirk on Daisuke's face.

The boy hadn't changed much, still looking the same as the last time I saw him. Except now I could see he was wearing Chiaki Nanami's favorite sweater, along with one of her pins. He was walking firmly, and confidently, with Fuyuhiko standing beside him. Behind them were an army of Monokuma Helmet wearing Yakuza, all of them armed to the teeth. They had boxed me in, all sixteen of them had made a circle around me, and there was no way of getting out.

Finally stopping, Daisuke looked at his friends, giving them a nod. The smirk on his face disappeared, being replaced with a look of curiosity. He fixed his bag a bit, as he walked toward me, standing right in front of me. I took a deep breath, straightening my back as I looked into his glowing crimson eyes. I was scared, but I wasn't going to give him the satisfaction.

"So, word on the street is you are trying to bring back hope." he said firmly. I swallowed hard, adopting a blank look on my face.

"Where did you find that out?" I asked. He grabbed a hold of my face, squeezing it tightly. I could feel the tears running down my cheeks, but I didn't care about that right now.

"I have eyes and ears all over this fucking country. Emo prince over there had one of his minions in your bag, didn't you notice it?" He asked.

Minions? He must have meant those hamsters Tanaka always carried around with him. I didn't remember seeing one, but Kiriko said she had felt something furry in her purse one time. That must have been it. He let go of me, and I stumbled back a bit, almost dropping the gun in my hand.

"Well, if you wanna bring hope back to the world, you can go ahead and try. However, just know that we'll be there every step of the way...to ruin every plan you come up with." he said firmly, turning away from me. I grit my teeth.

"You asshole! Why are you doing this? Are you really falling for her plan? For her goddamn ideology? Do you actually think Junko Enoshima cares about anyone of you? She could give the order and you would be forced to kill yourselves!" I snapped. Daisuke turned around, a smirk on his face.

"Ah yes, but that would be if she has control of all of us...which she doesn't. You see, it isn't hard to brainwash someone, once you figure out how to do it. By tweaking the book she gave me and listening to everything I said, my friends here are all now under my control. They won't listen to anything Junko says unless I give the express order to do so."

I couldn't believe it. Honestly I couldn't...then again he was the Ultimate Story Teller...by changing the tone of his voice, he could lull babies to sleep. If he could use that talent to hypnotize or brainwash someone, he could definitely gain control of their their minds. I grit my teeth, glancing at all of them...my upperclassmen.

"Isn't this wrong? This is basically what she did to you...don't you all want to be free of this despair? Don't any of you want to go back to normal?" I cried out, earning a chuckle from Kazuichi.

"We are normal, what are you talking about? We're doing everything we can to help this planet. My machines are clearing all of the pollution right now!" he said cheerfully.

"And my research into rockets is going to get us into space, we'll all see the stars and even land on Mars!" Takane added, a smile on her face.

"My gang is doing so much better then when my father had it. We've maximized profits all over Japan!" Fuyuhiko added.

"I haven't taken a single life since meeting Lady Junko...she has set all of us free." Peko added, ignoring the fact that her sword was dripping with pink blood.

"It is alright Miss Amane, sometimes in order for hope to prevail, you have to give into despair. That way we can create a bigger stepping stone toward hope!" Nagito added.

"You're all sick...I can't believe you all think the world is all peaches and rainbows...look around you! People are fucking dying, some of you even killed your parents, don't you feel anything?!" I cried, earning chuckles from all of them.

"Man, this girl is so stupid...I know want my mother and grandmother to die, but I wouldn't outright _Kill_ them!" Hiyoko said cheerfully.

"You blew up your own family studio, with all of your geisha inside! I saw you strap C4 to your mother's chest and handed the detonator to a stray dog...you fucking killed them!" I countered.

"I believe she's been too immersed in her mathematics to pay attention to the wonderful things we've done. After all, my country is putting everything I've learned here to use, and my people couldn't be any happier!" Sonia said.

"I have pictures as proof...see they're all happy!" Mahiru said, holding up several pictures of rotting corpses in her hand. I almost gagged.

"You see, all of us are extremely happy the way we are...but we all agree on one thing. Junko Enoshima needs to die for what she did. She robbed us of Chiaki, our best friend...our _hope_. She needs to die for what she did, and we will continue doing our best for this planet...if you can only see Despair in our Hope, then perhaps you should join her as well." Daisuke said firmly, pulling a monochrome book from his messenger bag.

I started breathing hard, already knowing what that was.

It was a book called Danganronpa, or rather, Junko Enoshima's Black Book of Despair. Reading it would turn anyone into an Ultimate Despair...but the way Daisuke had been using it was different. He would go to survivor camps and do a public announcement, reading the book from cover to cover.

"Don't worry sweetheart, it won't be so bad...when you join us, you'll be able to do whatever you want. Hiyoko has been looking forward to this day ever since you killed my father." he said, I glanced over at the Ultimate Traditional Dancer, who was licking her lips, a needy look on her face.

As he was about to read however, I heard a loud whistle from above me. Four black canisters hit the ground, exploding a second later. A bright flash and loud hiss filled my senses, as I covered my ears. I felt someone grab my arm, forcing me to rung. I spared a single glance over my shoulder, noticing all of the Ultimate Despairs had suddenly disappeared.

I was shoved down into a manhole, still confused as I fell down, only to hover above the ground for a second, landing on my butt. I groaned, rubbing my head as I looked up, the smiling face of Erika greeted me. I rapidly stood up, wrapping my arms around her. I felt tears falling from my eyes as she wrapped hers around me.

"Looks like I got here just in time. Someone had tripped the sensors, so when our scout came back and said Ultimate Despair, we immediately came to see. I wasn't expecting you to be with them though." she said, upon letting me go. I sighed, shaking my head.

"I wasn't...I was trying to get to you...I made contact with Ozzy and he let me know where you guys were." I said.

"Well, you've found us...come on, let's get you out of here and into the bunker, before they find us."

xxx

Looking around, the bunker that my class was staying in, I noticed that it was more like a mansion than anything.

There was a large living area, with all of the latest technology, including a flat screen television, every single gaming system save for the retro games, and even an entire movie shelf. The kitchen area was akin to that of a five star restaurant, and it even had its own walk in freezer, filled to the brim with fresh cuts of meat. The back room was filled with years of food, canned or otherwise. Then there was the main room, filled with all of the military grade stuff, including sonar, Doppler radar, video surveillance, you name it, it was there. I felt a hand on my shoulder and looked back, seeing the smiling face of Ezekiel.

"Impressed? Because I fucking am, and I built it!" he said.

"Well...all of you surely know how to live...this shit must have cost a pretty penny." I muttered, looking around.

"It did, it was three million just to convince the Japanese government to turn this old place into a bunker. Currently were under Shibuya Station...around four blocks away from Central Street. We're so far under ground not even the subways will make noise, then again those aren't running anymore. So, what exactly are you looking for us for?" he asked curiously.

"I want to save this world, and turn the Ultimate Despairs back to normal." I said firmly. He paused, blinking a few times.

"Are you serious? I don't want to die." he muttered.

"Ezekiel, they're our upperclassmen! You know what, call the class up, we're having a meeting." I said firmly, walking toward the dining room. The boy sighed, walking toward the living area of the bunker.

It wasn't long before the entire class was gathered up, all of them surprised and happy to see me. I had a firm look on my face as my friends and fellow classmates gathered before me. I cleared my throat, tugging firmly on my blazer.

"First off, I want to say hi to everyone. It's been five months since I've seen all of you, and I'm glad to see you are all safe and sound. But the reason for this meeting, is because I want to help the Ultimate Despairs, our upperclassmen, get back on the side of hope!" I said firmly.

"Are you insane? I don't want to die." Vanessa snapped.

"I agree with her, death is certain if we leave this safe house." Marie Rose added. I sighed, clenching my hands together.

"Please...we're the only ones left who can save this world. We're the Ultimate students of Hope's Peak Academy. We have to put our talents together to save this world. If we can get Daisuke back on our side, I'm sure he can help his friends...we can at least try that." He said.

"How would we do that? My brother is too far gone...you saw him didn't you?" Erika asked, earning a nod from me.

"Yes, I did...but I have something that will help him. A book that he wrote called My Heart Belongs to You. If we use Love against them, we can save them." I said firmly.

"Love, against despair?" Misa asked.

"Yes, Love is the strongest feeling someone can feel...there is a reason why Sonia, Hiyoko and Daisuke are still together even in all this. It's because their love of each other is stronger than their despair. If we can get the three of them on our side, everything will fall into place. Please, I came all the way here to find all of you, fuck I'll even pay for everything, if we can get access to my accounts." she said.

"Are you sure you can do this? Like...really bring them back?" Erika asked curiously. I gave her a nod, pulling out the leather bound book from my bag.

"I have the book right here...all we have to do is read it to them. My voice might not be as smooth as his, but these are his words. I am willing to die for this chance, so please...say you'll help me."

Erika sighed, turning to face her friends. All of them had looks of uncertainty on their faces. She nodded to herself, turning back to look at me, a small smile on her face.

"Alright then, if we can bring my brother back, then I'll help you...but I want my sisters-in-law back too!" she said.

"Well, if Erika is joining you, then I guess I'll join too, you'll need someone to manage your funds." Musashi added.

"I want my brother back, so whatever you need, I'm there." Otonashi added.

"I got your guns, food and other supplies. I got safe houses all over Tokyo." Ezekiel said firmly.

"I suppose I could lend my abilities, you'll need someone to keep the place clean." Marie Rose added. It wasn't long until everyone had joined...I let out a smile, tears dripping from my eyes.

"Thank you...it's time for all of us to save this world."

It was the beginning of something new, of a new blinding hope. Even if I die, I would make sure to leave my class with the tools they would need. After all, I am the Ultimate Mathematician, and it is my duty to calculate everything, even our future...

 _ **To be Continued...**_


	3. Chronicles of Despair: Act 3

**A/N: Hello everyone and welcome to Act 3 of Chronicles of Despair.**

 **So, I know I promised Five chapters for this short story, but honestly I couldn't figure out what to make the last two chapters about. So I decided to write three Chapters for this, and continue everything else in The School Life of Mutual Killing, since that story is getting re edited and getting a few new events added into it, I figured I could breathe new life into that story by continuing the plot points on the outside during it. It will also give everyone a chance to read or reread it, as a refresher of what's to come.**

 **Also, I haven't seen anything about Ultra Despair Girls in awhile...I know I was going to do a story about the events of that game, but It's going to be around six or seven chapters long, covering only the important details. It will be my take on the story, since Komaru Naegi won't be the main character. I just want to hurry up and start The School Trip of Mutual Killing, because I have a lot of ideas for it. I will also be covering a lot of stuff about what happens to Daisuke, Sonia and Hiyoko during the time Post-The School Life of Mutual Killing, and how everything leads to Jabberwock Island. Also this will be an interesting take in the series, since Mikan Tsumiki is going to be the first and most likely only person who is going to be part of Two Mutual Killing games. Of course she will be reset and most likely act the same as in The School Life of Mutual Killing. But do not fret, she and Makoto will be together again soon.**

 **I haven't decided exactly how it is going to play out, since I love Class 77B so much. I may do different executions and court cases, just like I did for The School Life of Mutual Killing...I guess we'll see how it turns out. It is just so hard, since Hajime Hinata won't be the Main Protagonist in this story. He will be a major part in it, but obviously Daisuke will be the one running the show...I will give more information when the time comes...**

 **So for now, enjoy this chapter...and please do look forward to the repost of The School Life of Mutual Killing. I won't be rewriting the whole thing, but I will be putting Part 1 and 2 into a single category to make it a complete story. It makes it a bit easier to work with on that front. Most of the editing will of course come to Hiyoko's side story and Part 2 of The School Life of Mutual Killing, since that's where all the continuity errors are...I've got a busy week it seems. I haven't been writing anything, mostly because my buddy just got married, so all my attention was on that...anyway, here's the story...**

Danganronpa

Chronicles of Despair

Act 3

Remnants of Hope

 _ **(One Year After The Fall of Hope's Peak Academy)**_

" _Goooood Mooorning People of the World!"_

Emma shot awake at the sudden shrill voice. She was immediately on her feet, aiming her rifle in all directions. She glanced behind her seeing all of her friends in similar states of awakening. She rubbed her eyes, holding back a yawn as she looked out the window. They had been on the move a lot recently, and had found a good apartment building in Shibuya, near Central Street. They had taken the penthouse suite for themselves, since it gave them a good look at the entire area. Nothing had changed, save for all of the Monokuma Units making rounds all over the place. There were those brave souls that fell to their might, in search for basic survival supplies.

Others had become stronger, and had managed to take down the horrible creatures. One such group was an organization called Future Foundation, their agents had been able to not only secure funding from someone, but also to rescue a lot of very important people. Supposedly, everyone that made up the Future Foundation was an Ex-Ultimate Student of Hope's Peak Academy, dating back to the 66th Class. They had even heard rumors of a Class 77B survivor being recruited into the foundation, but so far Emma didn't know who it was.

However, her attention was pulled toward the large screen located above Central Street. Everyone was now facing the windows. Even the Despairites down below had their attention on it. Emma could tell this was a broadcast directed to everyone who was near a television screen. They all looked at it intently, seeing a Monokuma unit on it, however it was different from the others.

The ones they had all seen on the streets were way bigger than this one. All of them were also acting on a predetermined path set by whoever had programmed them, and they attacked anyone who was on the side of Hope. This one however was acting differently, as if someone was controlling it. It let out that awful laugh everyone had been forced to get used to, its teeth glittering brightly.

" _Well isn't this swell? Look at this beautiful despair covered world. It has been a long year coming, but it seems now it's rapidly becoming the norm. So I have decided to kick this world in the teeth by getting rid of Hope!"_

"What...what the hell is it saying?" Haley asked firmly. Emma swallowed hard, glancing at her friends.

"I don't want to be the bearer of bad news but...I think this broadcast is coming from Hope's Peak Academy." she said, causing them all to go wide eyed.

"No...it can't be...that isn't possible!" Oliver cried angrily.

"But it is...you know full well that Hope's Peak has the equipment for a world wide broadcast. After all, they used the official Hope's Peak Academy Channel to broadcast the tournaments and the tests." Rika said firmly. Everyone tried not to look at her missing limb, but it was pretty obvious she was missing her arm.

" _Well you might all be wondering, what Hope am I talking about? Of course that hope is the very students being protected here at Hope's Peak Academy! All of them are currently in a comatose state being prepared for something I like to badadada! The School Life of Mutual Killing!"_

"The what?" Sona cried, eyes widened in shock. Keiko swallowed hard, reaching into her bag for something. She pulled out her autographed copy of Distrust and started sifting through it, eyes widening.

"Oh my god...they're going to put Class 78 through a Mutual Killing game...just like in Daisuke's book." she said. Oliver grit his teeth, slamming his fist against the glass.

"Junko...this is all her...she's the one doing this!" he shouted angrily.

" _Now then, let's announce our cast for this beeeary special guest!_

 _Starting things off, we have the Ultimate Biker, Mondo Owada. Following him is the Ultimate Baseball Star Leon Kuwata. Our next contestant is the Ultimate Lucky Student, Makoto Naegi!"_

One by one, all of the students of Class 78, were all named...their pictures being placed on screen. Fourteen students were named, causing confusion to everyone who was watching...Monokuma reappeared on the screen, a grin on his face.

" _There you have it, thirteen students belonging to Class 78 of Hope's Peak Academy...but now let us introduce our very special guests for this game, some people that are going to be rather interesting to watch! Our first special guest is none other than the Ultimate Nurse, Mikan Tsumiki!"_

"What...but she's an Ultimate Despair, if she's a part of this game...then she'll kill them all!" Aquamarine said.

"Don't worry, it's not like they're going to open the academy to let Ultimate Despairs in...besides the Headmaster is still in control of this thing...it's most likely all a sick joke from Junko Enoshima." Toshiro said, wrapping his arm around her shoulders.

" _Next up is a very well known, very beautiful young woman. This young woman is going to be one of the best players in the game...ladies and gentlemen, the Ultimate Fashionista, Junko Enoshima!"_

This greatly confused the three, especially when the Ultimate Fashionista was placed on screen next to the others. She didn't look much different than the last time they had seen her. Oliver grit his teeth in anger.

"Just what the hell is going on, she's the cause of this and yet she's placing herself in this?"

"It isn't her, Mukuro Ikusaba hasn't been mentioned yet. I remember hearing that Junko had a twin sister, my bet is that she's the one playing Junko's role. After all, why would she reveal herself as an Ultimate Despair this early on? Especially when this tragedy is still going on?" Keiko asked.

"Kei is right, Junko loves despair...and telling the world she plunged into it this early on doesn't sound like her. No...she wants them to figure out it." Emma muttered, eyes narrowed in thought.

" _Finally, let us welcome our three participants from Class 79! Nicholas McFay, the Ultimate Baker, Bryce Kotenok, the Ultimate Architect, and finally, Yunosuke Nagahama, the Ultimate Archer!"_ Monokuma cried, placing the final three pictures on screen. Their eyes widened at the addition of the only Class 79 students within the academy. Toshiro's eyes widened when his eyes fell on Hisashi's picture.

"Yunosuke is dead, why is Hisashi's picture on screen?" Haley asked firmly.

"My god...now I get it, in the book everyone lost their memories of each other. That's how the Mutual Killing game works...she must be using Yasuke Matsuda's Neurology notes to erase their memories!" Sona said. At the mention of their deceased friend, everyone stiffened up.

"Yasuke had memory erasing tech?" Aquamarine asked, earning a nod from Sona.

"Yes, I remember speaking with him...there was a Health Committee meeting, and our leader, Kiriko Nishizawa was discussing all of our medical advances. Yasuke had told all of us how he had developed all of this tech to help people with Dementia and Alzheimer's. It wasn't fully operational though, so if he finished it and Junko got her hands on it..." Sona didn't finish her sentence, her friends already knowing what she was getting at.

"That bitch...she's gonna force them to kill each other! We need to stop this, we need to get them out of there!" Oliver cried out.

"And how are we going to do that? You said it yourself, the academy is an impenetrable fortress...we try to go there and all of us will die. I don't know about you, but I am not letting my classmates die!" Emma said firmly.

"Doing nothing will condemn them to death! I need to go, I need to get Chihiro out of there!" he cried, walking toward the door.

" _That's it ladies and gentlemen, and when is this game scheduled to begin? Why, in a few days of course! We will begin changing the world. That's the funny thing about despair, for it to win, it doesn't have to try too hard. But we need to get rid of our obstacles...so it is with my supreme joy that I bring to you, the School Life of Mutual Killing!"_ Monokuma cried, confetti blowing in all directions. He grinned, pulling a gavel out from behind it's back.

" _Of course, we have to start this thing right...let's give it all we've got! Iiiiiiiitttttt'ssss Puniiiishmeeent Tiiimee!"_ he cried, slamming the gavel onto a red button.

 _ **Jin Kirigiri has been found guilty. Preparing Execution!**_

Headmaster Jin Kirigiri appeared on the screen, screaming loudly as he had been strapped to a seat. He was covered in sweat, his shirt pulled out of his pants and his tie loosened around his neck. His eyes had been covered with a dark blindfold. The scene was one of the classrooms in the very back of the academy building. Monokuma grinned as he pressed a button, a large rocket lifted from the ground behind the man, suddenly opening, two hands came from behind the man, pulling him into the rocket, the doors slamming shut.

 _ **Blast Off**_

Monokuma slammed his hand over the button, activating the rocket. It blasted off, bright colored plumes of flame shooting from the bottom and the sides of the rocket. It slammed into the ceiling, and started spinning around like a drill, drilling straight through the ceiling, shooting off right into the sky. From the outside of the academy, everyone could see the rocket shooting off high into space. It suddenly stopped, the rocket falling back down to earth. The rockets kicked back in, forcing the entire thing to fly straight through the building, slamming into the ground so hard that the entire area shook from it. Monokuma grinned as the doors opened, a small pile of bones falling from inside. As the execution ended, Monokuma's shrill laughter filled the area, the cameras growing dark.

No one knew how to react to that. Headmaster Jin was dead, there was no doubt about it. They all saw the rocket, they all saw the bones falling out of it...it was just hard for them to accept. Oliver's sobs brought everyone back to the real world. No one knew what to say, what to do...or how to act...all they could do was hope, hope that no one fell to Junko Enoshima's trap.

xxx

"Well, it seems your rocket was a success babe! Good job!" Kazuichi said, giving Takane a kiss on the cheek. The white haired girl smiled brightly as she looked at the smoke trail coming from the back building of Hope's Peak Academy. School building 1-B, one that wasn't used since the early days of the academy.

"Aw, don't be like that. I may have designed it, but you were the one that built it!" she said happily.

Kazuichi shrugged, tugging on the collar of his jumpsuit. His girlfriend was once again wearing a sleeveless shirt, by now she had an entire sleeve of tattoos, all extending from the comet she had originally gotten. She had the entire solar system on her arm now, above it all was the face of Monokuma, grinning brightly as always. The two of them heard clapping and looked up, seeing their friend Daisuke sitting at the top row of the main showroom of the Planetarium. It had been turned into a large work station for Kazuichi to build his large Monokuma units. The rest of it had been turned into a factory of sorts, manufacturing some of the other units around the city.

"It seems you followed your instructions to the letter, nice job." he said, walking down toward his friends.

"Well obviously, we weren't going to fail an order issued by you. We've been doing fun stuff but...what is all of this for anyway?" Kazuichi asked curiously. Daisuke shoved his book into his messenger bag, looking at his seat.

"It's quite simple, we're going to let Junko have her fun with Class 78...I sent Mikan over there to keep an eye on her. After all she is Junko's favorite play thing. When she gets the chance, she will open the door and that's when we move in to kill her...and if there's any Hope left within the academy, we'll kill them too." he said firmly.

"Sounds like fun!" Takane added, a giggle escaping her lips. Daisuke turned around, glancing at the door.

"Sonia and Hiyoko have been rather mellow lately. She event sent Impostor over to Novoselic because she was getting tired of dealing with her brother." the boy said, referring to the Ultimate Princess. Kazuichi's eyes furrowed a bit.

"Something wrong with Sonia? She isn't pregnant is she?"

"Don't be a retard you goddamn grease monkey! We haven't had sex in months, it's my way of causing them despair!" he said, sneering a bit.

"Okay, then why are they mellow?" Takane asked curiously, causing the boy to turn around once more.

"It seems...my little sister has been causing trouble in town. She and her classmates have started up a new organization." He said, a frown on his face.

"What kind of organization?" Kazuichi said.

"Some shit called the Remnants of Hope. Apparently she's gathered the last remaining survivors of Hope's Peak Academy. They have been gathering an army of ex-Reserve Course students that weren't brainwashed by Junko...all of them are working to stop us." He said.

"That isn't good...should kill them all then?" Takane asked, earning a headshake from the Ultimate Story Teller.

"I don't think so...this may prove beneficial for us...however I think I am going to send them a message. They have taken over an old Togami Enterprises building in downtown Shibuya. I am going to pay them a visit...if anything happens to me, I'll allow you to listen to whatever Junko orders. But only if something happens to me, got it?" he asked.

"What is going to happen to you? You act like you are going to die...we can't have our Class Representative die on us."

"Shut up Takane, I'm not the Class Rep, I'm only the vice rep...no one and I mean no one, will ever hold that title again. It will belong to Chiaki for the rest of time. So don't say that again, unless you want to die." he said firmly. The girl nodded, hiding behind Kazuichi. The Ultimate Story Teller shook his head, turning toward the stairs.

"Continue working on that Mega Monokuma, we might need it later on down the road." He said, giving them a wave.

xxx

Sylvia swallowed hard as she stood in front of everyone she had gathered up. All of Class 79, minus those in Hope's Peak Academy, and those that had been killed were present. Over the last few months, she had spent every waking moment of every day, speaking with anyone who had knowledge on academy survivors. She had been able to bring in two hundred Reserve Course survivors, all willing to help restore the world to its previous state.

They had also been able to come in contact with Akira Tetsujima, Tatsumi Kiba, Sena Morikawa, Rumi Shimada, Asuka Komura and Otoki Kengyo from Class 76A, the last remaining survivors of that class. She had yet to find the survivors of Class 77A or the four survivors of Class 78A...but she knew the people present were enough...all of them, Ultimates and Reserve Course students a like had been wearing identical replicas of the Hope's Peak Academy uniform, created by both Erika and Sena. She cleared her throat, the microphone echoing through the room.

"Um...I've never done something like this but...well here we go. Everyone, my name is Sylvia Amane, and I am the ex-Ultimate Mathematician. That's right, _ex._ I am using that word before my title, because I am no longer an alumni of Hope's Peak Academy. None of us truly are anymore, since the fall of the academy. We have become something new for this world. Hope, all of us now shall be known as that Hope.

Ultimates and Reserve Course students have come together as one single force. This force is to be known as Ultimate Hope, the ones who will bring this world back to normal. Already a year has passed since that horrible day when our classmates, friends and loved ones were murdered, and fallen into despair. But we cannot let this continue.

For too long people have been dying, for too long people have been suffering, for too long our upperclassmen have been destroying the world in her name. For too fucking long, we have let despair sink deeper and deeper into our minds, bodies and souls. But no longer, together, we will create a radiant hope that will destroy this despair that shrouds our planet. Together we will save this dying world, no longer are we going to let words like Main Course and Reserve Course define us! We are Students of Hope's Peak Academy, Remnants of Hope, the Ultimate Hope of the world!" She said firmly.

The entire crowd burst into loud cheers and applause, filling the other wise quiet room with noise. No longer were their faces full of uncertainty. Now they were full of radiant hope, just what she had been aiming for. Sylvia felt a hand on her shoulder, and looked to her right, seeing the smiling face of Ezekiel beside her.

"Good job, I wasn't expecting you to have prepared a speech and everything." He said.

"Um well...I didn't prepare it...it is something I had been wanting to say since this organization started. How are our force fields working by the way?" she asked firmly.

"They are one hundred percent operational. Akira was able to program them in rather quickly, using some technology she developed with Musashi's funding. I still can't believe she's playing both sides, I mean joining the Future Foundation?" he asked.

"Someone has to keep an eye on what they're doing. Especially with Chisa Yukizome in their ranks...she is still an Ultimate Despair after all." Sylvia said.

"Takeshi is also working with some of the military soldiers and transferring some high grade weapons over here. My cashe is rather small, but it should suffice for now. We plan to rig this building up so that it can be well supplied and defended. Musashi has provided us with choppers and pilots for them. Tatsumi is already teaching some of the younger people in case something happens to him." Ezekiel said.

"That's good...how's the status on Hope's Peak Academy, have we been able to penetrate the inside yet?" She asked.

"Negative, it seems the iron plates on the windows are double stacked, meaning nothing will be able to pierce through them. Not even an anti-tank rifle. The School Life of Mutual Killing hasn't started yet. Some have seen Junko wondering around Tokyo."

"She thinks she so damn confident...well just wait until I get my mitts on her." the pink haired girl hissed, clenching her hands tightly. Alarm bells suddenly started ringing, causing everyone to go into a panic. Akira flicked her wrist, the compartment on her mechanical arm opening up. Her eyes widened.

"Ultimate Despair is on the move, three of them are outside right now!"

"What? Are you certain?" Sylvia asked, earning a nod from her.

"I have confirmation...targets have been identified as the Ultimate Story Teller, the Ultimate Traditional Dancer and the Ultimate Princess, all three of them are standing outside, just staring at the entrance." She said.

"Okay then, it seems the time has finally come. For this to truly work, we need the help of the Ultimate Princess, only she can lead an organization of this magnitude...I've already prepared all of the necessary calculations. From this point forth, the Remnants of Hope will be under your leadership Ezekiel, until Sonia can take over."

"But what will you be doing?" he asked curiously, earning a smile from the girl. She flashed the leather bound book to him.

"You can't be serious, you're going down there to read that to them? We don't even know if that will work!" Vanessa snapped. Sylvia took a hold of the girl's hand, placing it on the cover.

"Then I'll rely on your luck...after all it was you that found this building for us with it. It was due to you that Musashi was able to secure the funds in her old accounts as well...we've got this, just believe in me...believe in his words." she said firmly.

"I agree with Sylvia...my brother wrote the damn thing, if his own words don't snap him out of his lull, then I don't know what will." Erika said, standing next to the pinkette. The girl smiled at her, giving her a nod.

"Erika, I want to thank you...for everything. I know I don't deserve your kindness, not after what I did to him and Hiyoko...but..."

"Hey, you're coming back to us...all of you are...so don't fret. Now go, finish this for us...pull us into a new beginning."

Sylvia confidently walked toward the elevator, pressing the lobby button once she had entered it. The Togami Enterprises building had been mostly destroyed, the floors below the 22nd had been completely destroyed. However, due to Vanessa's luck, the building hadn't collapsed when she entered it. She had given everyone a fair chance for them to secure the building, fixing it enough for it not to collapse. It was also during this time when Akira set up all of her gadgets, including an impenetrable force field, that would stop anyone but a Remnant of Hope to enter it. The uniforms were made with a special sensor in the crest of Hope's Peak, that would allow them to pass through it.

Once she was in the lobby, she walked through the destroyed foyer. There was only one elevator that kept working, but they almost never took it all the way downstairs. She walked toward the edge of the field, her eyes landing on the three members of Despair, her upperclassmen. They hadn't changed at all during the past few months...if anything they had sunk deeper into despair, evident by the glowing in their eyes. She swallowed hard, stopping just before the edge of the field.

"What are you doing here?" she called out, earning a chuckle from Daisuke.

"I would like to ask you the same thing Sylvia...you seem to have a knack for attracting despair to you. You got lucky last time, this time however, I doubt you will." he said, drawing his gun. He opened fire on her, making her scream as the bullets fizzled out of existence, thanks to the field.

"Wow, you were totally right babe, there is a field here!" Hiyoko said, a cheerful tone in her voice. Sylvia could see her sticking her hand in a bag of gummies...bright yellow gummies. She knew for a fact the girl detested them, despair must have made her seen nothing but other colors within that bag.

"Technology must be a wondrous thing! I should take this stuff to Novoselic, everyone will surely love it!" Sonia added, a cheerful look on her face. Daisuke tossed his gun aside as he calmly walked toward the field, stopping shy of hitting it. Sylvia didn't know what would happen if he did touch it, and she honestly didn't want to know.

"I heard my sister was responsible for all of this, but now that I think about it, I realize that it was you...why must you cause me despair?"

"Fuck you, you are the one causing despair! All I want to do is save this world, I want to save you...all of you!" Sylvia called back, earning giggles from the girls.

"Save us? But we don't need saving, the world is doing just fine. The sun is shining, and the birds are chirping...it's simply lovely!"

"Hey hey, maybe we could all go squish ants later...that sounds like fun right?" Hiyoko added, earning a cringe from the pinkette.

"See, all of us are alright...but I came here so I could tell you something important. I'm going to kill each and everyone of you!" Daisuke said cheerfully. Sylvia pulled the leather bound book from her bag, opening to the first page. The boy tilted his head.

"Is that what I think it is? One of my books?" he asked curiously.

"It is, and this is what is going to set you free!" she replied...the boy backed away from her, glancing at Hiyoko and Sonia.

"Go, if you hear any of this our plans will fail!" he cried. The two girls nodded, racing off in different directions. He tried running, only to trip and fall over a a slab of concrete. Sylvia raced out of the field, slamming her foot onto his back as she looked at the words written in the book.

"My Heart Belongs to You: Chapter One, the day I met the love of my life!"

"No, please don't do this to me! I don't want to loose my love of Despair! Junko...Junko help me!" he shouted, his voice echoing through the area.

As Sylvia continued to read the words written in the book, the boy stopped flailing, his eyes flashing from crimson to blue at three second intervals. His mind was starting to break as a clash of hope and despair was being waged in the recesses of his mind. Tears started flowing from his eyes, his heart thumping wildly as the guilt of his actions started weighing down on him. Sylvia stopped reading, taking her foot off of Daisuke's back. She knelt down before him, as the boy turned around. His eyes had returned to normal, a sign that the brainwashing had been completely erased from his mind.

"What have I done...Oh my god look at everything." he said, eyes wide at all of the destruction around him. Sylvia gave him a hug.

"It wasn't your fault, it was all Junko Enoshima's fault...she's the one who needs to pay for this." she said firmly.

She reached into his bag, pulling out Junko's Black Book of Despair. She pulled a lighter from her pocket and held the light to the corner of the book, watching as it caught ablaze. She tossed it to the ground, both of them watching as it burned into nothing.

"It's over...you'll never be able to brainwash people again." she said.

"It doesn't matter, look at all of this...I don't even know what happened, all of my actions, everything was happening and I was sitting there watching it go down. It was as if I was in a theater, watching a movie of myself destroying the world...I couldn't stop myself." he said firmly.

"It's okay...none of us blame Class 77B for what is going on...but now that you are back, you have to bring them back from despair. We have a theory, that Love is able to break Despair...but at anytime you could fall back into it...which is why I myself have created an audiobook version of it. It lacks your finesse but...I think it will do the trick." she said, handing him the tape. He took it in his hands, looking at the words written on it.

"Sylvia I...oh god...I made you kill my father...I.."

"Hey, don't even apologize for that...I'm sort of happy you killed him. We didn't need that scum bag running around doing whatever he wanted, then again it would have been funny to see everything he loved get destroyed." She replied. He frowned, looking away from her. He stood up, placing the tape in his tape recorder, tossing the other one to the ground and crushing it with his boot. He looked at himself, seeing all of the blood on his boots.

"What am I wearing...is this...Chiaki's sweater? And her pin?" he asked, looking at herself.

"You became the leader of the Ultimate Despair, the Vice Representative had to keep an eye out for his friends. Over the last year, you've planned hundreds of attacks all over the world, Japan fell in three days, the rest of the world within the month. You turned an entire stadium of people into Despairites by singing a song." she said.

"Oh god...I was totally abusing my talent...but...it felt good. I wanted the world to feel my pain, I wanted the Reserve Course to die for what they had done. Even if they were innocent in the beginning, they still need to pay for what they did to the academy." he said, eyes flashing crimson.

"Quickly, you need to finish reading this book out loud. If you hear your own voice, you'll stop yourself from falling into despair!" she said. He nodded, continuing to read the words out loud. He didn't know how long it had been, but he had read it cover to cover, his own voice melting the last of the despair away from his mind. He fell to his knees, dropping the leather bound book to the ground.

"I need to get out of here, I need to atone for what I did...I need to save my friends!" he cried firmly.

"We're working on it. Do you remember anything from your time in Despair?" she asked.

"Of course, I remember all of it...but it feels like someone else did it all." he replied.

"Then you know about the Remnants of Hope...I gathered everyone that survived the fall of Hope's Peak Academy...I wanted to combine all of our hope and save the world. Musashi Togami is provided our funding, and we've got Akira creating tech for us, together we'll be able to save the world!" she said cheerfully. A loud gunshot echoed through the area, causing the two to stop.

Sylvia felt a sharp pain in her chest, and glanced at her shirt, seeing it start to be drenched in pain. She shakily reached a hand to it, her finger tips being covered in the pink liquid. Her eyes widened when she realized what happened. She suddenly felt a weakness in her legs, and ended up falling back, only for Daisuke to catch her before she hit the ground. Her breathing became ragged as her mind tried to process what was happening.

"Why does it feel cold...I'm so cold." she said softly.

"Sylvia no...please you can't die yet!" Daisuke cried, fresh tears falling down his face. She smiled, reaching a hand to his face, wiping her tears away.

"I missed you so much...you have no idea how much I did. I remember when we were little, and we used to play every day. I remember when we were in love, all of the kisses you gave me, and the stories you read to me...I don't know why Ryusuke made me do it...I'm sorry Daisuke...for everything I did to you."

"No, it should be me who should apologize! I ended the world, I ended your future, I ended your hopes and dreams! It should be me who should die, not you!" he cried. She shivered, gritting her teeth as she looked at the sky.

"It's too bad, I wanted to see the blue skies again...but all I see is red. Promise me that you'll bring this world back from the brink of despair...I know you can do it...save them, only you and Sonia can lead this world into the light." she said softly.

"I will, but you need to hang on, I can carry you inside. We can get you help!" He said. She smiled, grabbing a hold of his shirt, pulling him down. She captured his lips in a kiss, giving him every last bit of love she had in her body. She felt herself fade away, one last thought in her mind.

" _I'll bestow my hope to you...I'll always love you."_

Daisuke felt the girl go limp in his arms, his lips pulling away from hers. He shook her a bit, trying to get her to wake up, but she didn't. He grit his teeth, sobs escaping his lips as he hugged the girl tightly.

"You didn't need to die...you didn't need to die." he cried, though it was a bit muffled.

"Well well well, my dear Daisuke...what are you doing hugging that worthless trash?"

His eyes widened and he looked back, his eyes widening as he saw Junko Enoshima standing behind him. She hadn't changed a single bit, but she had been smiling brightly, a gun held in her hand. Mukuro Ikusaba was standing next to her, a knife clutched in her hand. Daisuke grit his teeth as he stood up, gently laying Sylvia on the ground.

"You fucking bitch, you didn't need to kill her!" he shouted.

"Oh what is this? Did the brainwashing ware off already?" She asked, she noticed the leather bound book in his hand, her eyes widening a bit.

"Oh I see...she gave you that book didn't she? I should have burned everything you wrote when I had the chance. But of course this makes it interesting. A single student from Class 77B coming back from the brink of despair, it makes it so much better...of course that doesn't mean you'll stop what's about to happen." she said firmly.

"You think you can get away with this? With what you forced me and my friends to do? You will pay for what you did to Chiaki, for what you did to my mothers, and this fucking planet!" he shouted in anger. Junko threw her head back, laughing loudly.

"You think you alone can help this dying planet? You spent a year destroying it, and now you want to bring it back to the side of hope. You don't do that, you don't get to come back!" she shouted at him, aiming her gun at his head.

"Oh don't worry, I'm still going to bring you despair...you'll feel true despair when I choke the life out of your eyes...I will spill your blood all over this world, and I will set it free...you can count on it." he said firmly. She rolled her eyes, shaking her head.

"I think we should do it, should we?" she asked, glancing at her sister.

"You...want my opinion? My opinion matters? This is so wonderful, I believe we should..."

"Oh my god, shut the fuck up bitch, you need a Tic Tac." Junko snapped, shoving her hand on her face, shutting her sister up. She reached her hand into her breasts pulling out a small remote.

"Well, since you were the one who helped me with the first execution, you get to see the very beginning of a new world wide phenomenon. I like to call it, The School Life of Mutual Killing!"

She pressed the button, the nearby screens roaring to life. The loud voice of Monokuma echoed through the speakers as it faced the camera.

" _That's right ladies and gentlemen of the World, the time has been set, so when it reaches zero, we will begin our Mutual Killing game. The Hope of the World will be pit together in a spit swapping make out match, fighting for survival! I hope you stick around, because it's going to be beary interesting! Upupupupupupupu!"_

Monokuma disappeared, his face being replaced by a timer in the likeness of Monokuma. The timer was counting down the hours, two hours remained, the time being set to 8:00 Am. Daisuke tore his eyes away from the screen, leering at Junko.

"What are you planning?" he asked firmly.

"I'm gonna drive your friends into despair! Right now, Hisashi and Sayaka are both in separate rooms, all of their lovely memories completely erased! They won't even remember the times they fucked each other! I was also surprised when you sent Mikan Tsumiki my way, most likely to keep an eye on me. Sadly she also got a mind wipe, so your friend is going to die in there. You can try to stop me, but I'll kill you right here and now, like I did your friend." she said firmly.

"What about Kotoko...what did you to with her?" he asked.

"Oh her? She's being taken care of, don't you worry...she along with Yukki Maizono, Kanon Nakajima, Komaru Naegi, everyone related to our friends...all of them will be kept safe and sound...at least until I deem it fit. Well I gotta go, lots of people to see, a lot of friends to watch kill each other...should be more interesting than our Student Council, see ya later Dais...keep in touch...unless you want your friends to die." she said, turning on her heel. Daisuke grit his teeth in anger wanting to do something, but he knew Junko would definitely kill him.

He knelt down next to Sylvia, slipping his arms around her body. He lifted her up from the ground, turning to face the Togami Enterprises building. He swallowed hard, taking a deep breath. He walked forward, passing through the force field with ease. Once he walked into the lobby, the elevator doors opened, revealing his sister and Akira.

"I'm sorry, please forgive me." he said, bowing his head.

"Big brother...it's okay...I'm just happy to have you back." Erika said, a step away from crying. Daisuke handed Sylvia over to Akira, who looked at her face with a frown.

"We saw everything...she loved you to the very end...such a shame." she said.

"I'm gonna find Sonia and Hiyoko...I need them back." he said firmly. Erika took a hold of his wrist, placing a watch on it. He glanced it awkwardly, glancing at Akira.

"It's a shock watch. If you start falling into despair again, it will shock the shit out of you...use it as a reminder to read that book or listen to the tape. There's only so much love you can use before you get used to it. The faster you rescue your girls, the better...you'll have to keep your love strong for you to survive. I'm already working on something that will bring you all back...but now we have something new to worry about." she said.

"The School Life of Mutual Killing...I didn't think she would take inspiration from my book. Damn it, I feel so useless."

"Don't be like that...I know everything is bleak but...you've got to have hope. You can come back, Sylvia proved it to us...so we have to do her right and save the world."

"Sonia...she told me she could lead this organization...I'm gonna go find her...once I pull her from despair, I'll bring her here." he said firmly.

"Go, we'll keep an eye on you from our eyes in the sky...we'll also prepare some new clothes for you...I got something that will definitely fit you." Erika said, giving him a wink. He nodded, slipping Chiaki's sweater off his body. He gave to her, not bothering to fold it.

"Please, I want you to wash this...if you could fix it for me that would mean a lot to me." he replied.

"I will...this was hers wasn't it?" she asked, earning a silent nod from him. He tightened his hold on his bag, placing a hand on Sylvia's face.

"I'm sorry...I promise to bring this world back from the brink of despair. It's the least I can do for all of the hard work you've done." he said. He turned around, running out of the lobby. Erika broke into tears, her shoulders shaking.

"Sylvia...she didn't need to die."

"I know...but she's dead, there's nothing we can do...well...there is one thing." Akira said, Erika looking at her with wide eyes.

"You can? You can bring her back?"

"Not exactly...if she was still alive, I could have injected nanobots into her blood stream to rapidly seal the wound. But now that she's dead, the only thing I can do is scan her brain and copy all of her memories into my computer...she wouldn't be perfect, but I can make an AI of her with those memories...maybe." she said.

"Please, even if she's an AI, it doesn't matter...we need here there, she's our friend."

"I know...I'll do my best...I don't normally do this but...damn if she was only alive...even if just barely...I could have put her in stasis like...nevermind, let's go." Akira said, earning a nod from Erika. She paused briefly, glancing over her shoulder.

"Daisuke...please hurry back."

xxx _(Three days later...)_

Daisuke didn't feel safe anymore. When he was an Ultimate Despair, he had acted calmly and rationally. At least in his despair driven mind, but now that the brainwashing had been reversed, everything was different. Walking down the streets of Tokyo, all of the people screaming and running in all directions, the Monokuma Units killing people. It was all so different, so horrible, and he was the cause for all of it. He saw a smoke trail rising high into the sky, another fire having been set. The entire sky was dyed crimson with despair. When he walked around before, everything looked normal to him...but that was an effect from the brainwashing.

He heard some laughter and pulled himself to a stop. The loud blast from an anti-tank rifle echoed through the area, the sound of breaking glass filling his ears. He walked over toward the edge of the street, eyes widening a bit. He saw Sonia, standing on top of a tank, firing a very large rifle at an armored vehicle. She had a look of pure glee on her face, and every time she pulled the trigger she started laughing. It was unlike the woman he had fallen in love with. He grit his teeth in anger and sadness, his eyes flashing crimson. He felt a jolt racing through his arm, but he didn't care.

"Sonia!" he shouted.

She stopped, glancing over her shoulder. She gasped happily, dropping the rifle in her hands. She jumped down from the tank, pressing a button on her cellphone, causing the entire street to explode. She didn't even glance over her shoulder as she walked.

"My beautiful story teller, what are you doing here? Did you take care of that whiny bitch?" she asked.

"Sonia, I need you." he said softly. She tilted her head, a hungry look on her face.

"I've been waiting for so long for this!" she said a grin on her face. She lifted the skirt of her white dress, showing him her lacy under wear. He wrapped his arms around her, kissing her neck. He reached into his bag, pulling out his tape player. He hit play, placing the headphones over her ears.

"What are you doing?" she screamed, trying to rip the headset off her head. He kneed her in the chest, causing her to fall to the ground in pain. He straddled her waist, holding the headphones tightly over her ears.

"I need you back, I want you to be normal...please let this work!" he cried. Her eyes widened a bit as the words seeped into her mind. Her hands flew to her mouth, tears falling from her eyes as she continued listening to it.

The tape recorder finally clicked off, having hit the end of the tape. He pulled the headphones away from the blonde princess, who immediately wrapped her arms around him, sobbing into his shoulder.

"Daisuke, I'm sorry...I didn't know what I was doing...please you have to forgive me."

"I do...I do baby...it wasn't our fault...this was all Junko." he said, hugging the girl tightly. She started shaking a bit as she heard the name.

"No...she killed Chiaki...she made me kill my parents, my entire country was plunged into war because of me...the whole world was plunged into despair because of me!" she cried.

"Don't blame yourself, none of us knew what was going to happen. It was all Junko's sick little ploy...she brainwashed Mikan, had her separate us from Chiaki, and she brainwashed Chisa so she could set us out on the world. Now Mikan is being put in a Killing game, with the rest of our friends." he said, pointing toward a large monitor on the side of a building.

"The School Life of Mutual Killing, countdown to Despair...what is that?" she asked.

"Junko got ideas from my book...she built the Class Trial Courtroom, she's going to put our friends, those who locked themselves within Hope's Peak Academy, through a Mutual Killing game, just like in my book." he said, her eyes widened.

"That's horrible! But...we don't have a right to say anything...after everything we did...I understand if you don't love me anymore Daisuke...I don't love myself." she said, looking away from him. He took a hold of her face, forcing her to look at him.

"Don't you dare say that, because I love you! I am so in love with you that I would die without you. There is nothing on this earth that I love more than you, not my writing, not my school, not even my story book...well, there is Hiyoko...I love the two of you more than anything." he said. She smiled, wrapping her arms around his neck, giving him a firm kiss.

"I love you too." she said.

"Good, let's find our Dancer." he said, standing up. She took a hold of his hand, glancing at her dress.

"I really need to get out of this horrible looking thing...I also need a shower." she said, running her fingers through her greasy hair. She was surprised it was still straight.

"You look fine, aside from the blood." he said. She gave him a deadpanned look.

"I smell like the left side of a horses ass in the middle of August." she said firmly.

"Well then...let's just find Hiyoko." he said softly. Sonia looked around, humming to herself.

"She mentioned something about taking a walk." she said.

"Shit, whenever Hiyoko said she was going to take a walk, someone got blown away with C4." he said, eyes widening.

"Then we need to find her before someone else dies!" she screamed.

A loud explosion shook the area, causing the two to look over, watching as one of the tall buildings not far from where they were, slowly tumbled over, the entire area shaking from the impact. The two of them ran off, heading toward the destroyed building. It wasn't long before they heard a familiar laugh.

"Look at all of those idiots, taking refuge in this building. Do you really thing I wouldn't find you? I'll tell you what, if you all watch me dance, I'll let you live...if not you'll have to pick up your teeth from the ground." Hiyoko said, a sneer on her face. She suddenly turned around, her eyes glowing a bit when she saw her lovers.

"Daisuke, Sonia...there you are...what happened to Sylvia? Did you kill her?" she asked curiously.

"Hiyoko...would you mind listening to something real quick?" Sonia asked, causing her to tilt her head.

"Huh? You want me to hear something? Sure, I don't mind, just let me talk to my slaves." she said, turning around. Sonia wrapped her arms around her, holding her in place.

"Now Daisuke, do it!" she said.

Hiyoko let out a scream, biting down on Sonia's arm, going as far as drawing blood. The Ultimate Story Teller placed the headphones over her ears, hitting the play button. She let out a scream of anguish and pain. She finally fell to her knees, her screams of despair turning into ones of guilt. Her shoulders shook, the sudden realization of what she had done causing her to shut down. Daisuke and Sonia hugged her tightly.

"You aren't alone sweetheart, everything will be fine." he said softly.

"I'm not worthy of your love, not after what I did." she said, bursting into tears again. She slipped the ring off her finger, giving it to Sonia.

"What do I want with this?" she asked.

"I don't deserve it, you should marry each other...I can't love Daisuke, not after killing my family, and so many others." she said.

"I've had my fair share of kills too...remember, we all turned those survivors to despair. We were the ones who killed every surviving Reserve Course student...all of us are guilty, but none is guiltier than Junko Enoshima. None of us are to blame, we all wanted to share our pain with the world, the pain of loosing Chiaki. Which is why we need to stop Junko from killing the last remaining hope of the world."

"And our friends?" she asked, wiping her tears away.

"We'll get them all back...but right now, there is nothing we can do...getting all fourteen of them back here, so we can change them back, would be impossible. We need to figure out what to do." Sonia said.

"Sylvia said that she wanted you to lead the Remnants of Hope...I made her a promise, that I would save this world. I have to atone for what I did, and that's exactly what I will do...we need to go back...we need to bring hope to this world." he said.

"The three of us? Will we be able to?" Hiyoko asked firmly. Daisuke nodded, a firm look on his face as he glanced into the distance, glaring at the giant Monokuma currently punching all of the remaining tall buildings.

"In order for this world to go back to the past, we need to start working on the present. That way, the future will be able to flourish. We've already written the sequel, now it's time for us to reach its conclusion."

" _Goood Mooorning everyone, it is currently 8:00 Am on this beautiful Monday Morning. It is now time for our students to start getting to know each other! That's right it is time for us to begin the School Life of Mutual Killing! I am your host, Headmaster Monokuma, let's start the killing spree!"_

The three turned around, facing the large screen as an annoying intro song started blaring through the speakers, pictures of the students trapped within Hope's Peak Academy, flashing onto the screen along with their names. All of them disappeared, silhouettes of the Seventeen students slowly appearing on screen, on a monochrome screen. Below them, the number 17 was flashing brightly. Daisuke swallowed hard.

"We need to hurry, before anyone dies." He said.

"But what will we do...we've all seen what they did to the academy, we'll never be able to pass through." Sonia said.

"All we can do is wait...wait for them to set themselves free. We can't worry about them, or we will fall to despair. Let's head back to the Togami Enterprises building, my sister is waiting for us there."

"Alright...are you sure we won't get killed when we get there?" Hiyoko said.

"I'm sure...though at this point, I would welcome death...I don't think I can continue living after everything I've done."

"Well you have too, I'm not letting either of you die. We get to come back, but we need to earn our spot in this new world. And if we don't...then fuck it, at least I'll give my life for the sake of hope, rather than despair." Sonia snapped angrily, earning a giggle from Hiyoko.

"Still the same pushy princess as before, though you look really hot in that dress." She said, giving her a wink.

"I do not...I need a new dress and a shower ASAP."

"Hmm...you do smell like shit, when was the last time you took a bath?" the blonde dancer asked.

"When was the last time you took a bath you bitch?" Sonia snapped.

"Don't cop an attitude with me slut, I'll kick your ass."

"Even now some things don't change."

 _ **To Be Continued...**_

 _ **Chronicles of Despair End:**_

 _ **The School Life of Mutual Killing Begin:**_

 _ **Surviving Students: 17**_

 _ **Omake:**_

Junko smiled to herself as she strolled into the Data Processing Room on the Fourth Floor of the Academy. She sat down on the chair, kicking her legs up onto the desk in front of her, the big screens in front of her showing her the feed from the cameras in the Gymnasium. All of her friends were currently greeting each other in the gym, acting as if it was the first time they had all met. She saw her sister speaking with Hisashi, a smirk on her face.

"Oh Mukuro, you definitely don't know how to act like me...such a shame I couldn't get Serenity to act for you." she said, cracking open a can of Blue Ram.

She had made sure everything was perfect. Leaving the academy through the back entrance had been a little difficult, especially because the doors were extremely well hidden. They had been placed in the very back of the storage room on the first floor dormitory area. She had dug a hole through the ceiling, hiding it by stacking several boxes to hide the view of the hole. The rope ladder was also hidden, allowing her to come and go as she pleased. Monokuma was programmed to follow her commands, even if she wasn't in the academy. Although she had doubts about leaving the academy again.

She glanced toward the outdoor cameras, eyes widening a bit. There, standing in front of one of the cameras, was Daisuke Rel Rio, along with Sonia Nevermind and Hiyoko Saionji.

The Ultimate Story Teller was dressed in a rather interesting outfit. He was wearing a long sleeved white shirt, with a black suit vest, which had the crest of Hope's Peak Academy on it. He was wearing a crimson tie, tucked inside of the vest. He was wearing a long pair of black pants, and a pair of brand new black buckle boots. He was wearing a trench coat over it, with a wide collar. It reached down to his heels, almost touching the ground. Slung across his chest was his messenger bag.

Sonia was wearing a dress, similar to her previous one, only it was black instead of white. It had a bright crimson rose bloom, pinned to the strap, which went across her left shoulder, rather than her right. Her hair was brushed, a single ribbon tied to it.

Next to her stood the Ultimate Traditional Dancer. She was wearing a rather beautiful kimono. It was a pale blue color, with bright white clouds printed on it. It seemed to be made out of the softest silk in the world. It had long furisode sleeves hanging from the wrists, which had bright white flowers on it. She was wearing a bright green sash, with the emblem of Hope's Peak Academy on it, along with some birds and butterflies. She was wearing a pair of long white socks and wooden sandals. The three of them were glaring at the academy.

She suddenly sat up, pressing the zoom button on the camera facing them. Now that she could see them up close, she could read the boy's lips, shivering a bit at what he had said.

" _We're going to Kill You._

Normally, Junko didn't fear anything, but the way the boy looked when he said it made her feel fear. It was a nice fear, one filled with Despair. She shivered a bit, glancing back at her friends who were in the gym. It was almost time for Monokuma to introduce himself to them, so she had no time to deal with them. She grit her teeth, slamming her hands onto the panel.

"I can't have them mess me up this early on...hmm, if I get rid of their leader, then I believe everything should fall into place. Well then, looks like Monokuma will have to go on Auto-Pilot for awhile...Daisuke Del Rio, you have been a most interesting character, but your time has come." she said, reaching under her seat for her gun.

It was a Smith and Wesson .45 APC, with a chrome barrel and wooden handles. It was the same gun Hisashi had used to kill that Reserve Course student. The same one that Mukuro had used to kill Yunosuke Nagahama. It would be the gun that would bring despair to The Ultimate Princess and the Ultimate Traditional, and held the bullet that would end the Ultimate Story Teller...

 _ **To be continued in...The School Life of Mutual Killing...**_


End file.
